Author of IDF’s ethical code: I haven’t seen any act of genocide in Gaza

Professor Asa Kasher, author of the IDF’s ethical code, said this morning (Sunday) in an interview with Yair Weinreb on the Kan Reshet Bet program, "This Morning," that he has watched hundreds of videos showing improper conduct by soldiers in Gaza, but has not seen behavior that would constitute genocide.

When asked about his opinion on the Security Cabinet’s decision to conquer Gaza, he replied:

“My opinion is naturally negative. We must clearly define the objectives for which we send soldiers to war. We need to take the right steps to bring the hostages home. The Cabinet’s decisions achieve neither of these.”

On international criticism and allegations of famine in Gaza, Kasher said: “I’m not particularly interested in what people say about us and our behavior. Once we behave properly and achieve our goals without tricks and gimmicks, then we can move on to the secondary question of how to get the world to trust our actions. My main concern is not what they think of us in Europe and the United States. My main concern is what’s happening to the hostages and what’s happening to the soldiers.”

Kasher continued, “I want to know whether soldiers are conducting themselves according to the values of the IDF – yes or no. If they are not, I want the commanders to improve their conduct; if they do, very good. Then we’ll see how to present this to the world. The question is whether the conduct itself is proper.”

“At first glance, warning fire – it's not in line with IDF values.”

“There’s no debate that we caused the deaths of Palestinians who came to food stations – what is warning fire? At first glance, warning fire does not seem to match IDF values. So let’s see: Is that true? Was it necessary? Was it self-defense? Was it unjustified conduct? Can we examine this so we can be sure we are behaving properly, and so that next time we really will behave properly, even if we didn’t last time. Then, we’ll figure out how to explain to the world what warning shots mean.”

Kasher added, “I know examples of improper conduct, I know examples of perfectly proper conduct, and I have no basis for generalization. The IDF does not issue orders to soldiers to act in accordance with IDF values that contradict international law – that combination does not exist. If we were acting according to values, we would not have a problem with international law.”

“Various international newspapers and TV networks have, throughout the war, sent me videos that soldiers have uploaded to the internet showing their own conduct, and have asked me what I think about their behavior. In this context, I’ve watched hundreds of videos that soldiers filmed themselves and posted online. There’s no end to improper acts there, but nothing that is from the genocide family. I've seen many acts that do not match the values of the IDF.”