BBC Newsnight claims religious influence on Israel’s army
The introduction asserts: ‘Once proudly secular, [the IDF’s] combat units are now filled with those who believe that Israel’s wars are God’s wars. There’s a rising number of religious Jewish soldiers, and military rabbis are becoming more powerful.’
Several individuals interviewed voiced their concerns about an undue influence of religion upon soldiers, and drew unfavourable comparisons with divinely-inspired wars. General Nehemia Dagan, a former Army Chief Education Officer argued that the motivation to fight must not come from a religious authority, because when it does it is ‘jihad’ and ‘there are no limits’.
Gal Einav, a secular reservist, discussed the increased presence of rabbis during Operation Cast Lead, and how ‘it felt like we were going to a Holy War, like on a crusade’.
The report heavily implied that if the IDF were responsible for unnecessary civilian casualties in Gaza, then military rabbis were part of the problem. Adler claimed: ‘Israel’s invasion of Gaza earlier this year brought to light a number of disturbing questions about its army: reports of excessive force, the abuse of civilians, and the wide-reaching influence of Messianic messages.’
While a retired military rabbi, Lieutenant Shmuel Kaufman, explained that their purpose was to boost morale, the report suggested instead that they were encouraging troops to disregard the safety of Palestinian non-combatants. This sense was reinforced by the juxtaposing of a talk being given to troops in which a rabbi ‘tells the soldiers it’s war time: they must harden their hearts’, with the journalist’s observation, ‘They are about to enter Palestinian civilian areas.’
The second overriding concern in the report was that the growing number of Orthodox soldiers will ultimately result in an army which obeys orders from religious figure-heads over secular commanders. This would be particularly problematic when addressing the subject of settlement dismantlement, since ‘most of the new wave of Israel’s religious soldiers, and the majority of its military rabbis, [are] politically right-wing’.
The BBC correspondent visited a seminary in the West Bank where the students believe that the West Bank and Gaza belong to Israel. Later, reservist Gal Einav emphasised his worry that in the event that a political decision is taken to dismantle settlements and military rabbis opposed this, religious soldiers ‘are going to listen to the rabbis’.
The IDF Chief Education Officer, Brigadier General Eli Shermeister counters this message, contending that ‘Only the commanders are in charge of the spirit of the soldiers.’ However, his statement is somewhat contradicted by the accompanying footage of a religious soldier praying in a commandeered Gazan home. The underlying message is that the growing number of religiously-observant soldiers will make peace with the Palestinians more difficult to achieve.
At no stage in the report was the dismantlement of settlements and military disengagement from Gaza in 2005 mentioned. In fact, Katya Adler gave the misleading impression that Israel still has a presence in Gaza: ‘Day-to-day, Israel’s army mainly operates in civilian areas: in Gaza, the West Bank, and… in East Jerusalem.’
The Newsnight report included opinions from across the religious and political spectrums in Israel, and all sides are given an opportunity to voice their feelings on the topic. Nonetheless, its prime time positioning by the BBC reflects a continued interest in delivering outputs which scrutinise the ethical conduct of Israel’s army and question the country’s commitment to peace.