Outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid warns IDF officer cadets of the pressure the military will likely face to employ force without regard to laws.
“The challenge is from calls to use force without laws, without rules, without adhering to the model of a law-abiding army, Lapid says.
His comments are likely aimed at the far-right Religious Zionism party, which is demanding the defense and internal security portfolios in the new government.
Lawmakers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir have called for easing open-fire regulations in the military and police.
“These calls weaken Israeli society and weaken the IDF,” says Lapid, speaking at the officer training graduation ceremony.
“The fact that we are an advanced democracy with rules and laws is not a limitation on power. It is the source of our power. This is what distinguishes us from our enemies. If we are not different from them, we will not defeat them,” Lapid says.
“If the IDF is not a moral and law-abiding army, it will not recruit the best fighters and commanders into its ranks,” he warns.
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Thursday, November 10, 2022
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