A recent assertion by Reshet 13 anchorwoman Oshrat Kotler that military service in the Palestinian territories turns Israeli soldiers into "animals" sparked a firestorm of controversy, yet the incident deserves a much more in-depth analysis than the superficial debate it has triggered.
The automatic responses from both the Right (There is no moral price to the occupation) and the Left (We need to pull out of the territories) ignore the complexities of the situation. There is a moral price to any military activity – whether it entails engaging in combat, policing or simply making a presence felt in a civlian society. While one cannot deny the price, one should seek to minimize it. Any discussion about the moral aspects of the military activity itself should not be confused with a discussion about the need for it.
At this point in time, the IDF's presence in Judea and Samaria, although regrettable, is necessary to prevent those territories from turning into the Gaza Strip or Lebanon. That is why the moral price of stationing soldiers there, while regrettable, is unavoidable. But this cannot be cited as justification for a withdrawal from the territories.
Concerns that military service in Judea and Samaria will turn our combat fighters into animals, combined with increasing calls to make the Israel Defense Forces a professional army, could quell Kotler's anxiety: In a professional military, the souls of our children would not be harmed, and only those who choose combat as their profession would risk turning into animals. But this could result in phenomena the likes of which we saw in soldiers from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion more common. At the same time, it would not be brought to the Israeli public's knowledge, as the media would be less concerned with the moral price of the occupation.
There is a reason the number of moral digressions in the IDF are infinitely lower than those of the U.S. or British militaries, NATO, UNIFIL, and other peacekeeping forces stationed in conflict regions around the world, and that is because the IDF is a people's army, and as such shows moral and physical concern for all of its "children" stationed in the conflict zone. That is why journalists take such care to shine light on the military's conduct and carefully monitor the ethical, legal and moral ramification of its soldiers' conduct, from the strategic level all the way down to the implementation of guidelines for opening fire. It is also worth noting the difference between the extensive coverage of IDF soldiers' morality versus the scant coverage of the ethical conduct of police officers and prison guards.
In Israeli society, which to a great extent shuts its eyes to the plight of the Palestinians in the territories, a paradox has been created: Military service is the only mechanism that forces empathy and awareness of the Palestinians' existence and suffering. When else would an Israeli citizen see what day-to-day life looks like in the territories, if not during their military service? How would they be exposed to the difficulty Palestinians face when trying to make a living, while contending with Israeli blockades and the corruption and depravity of the Palestinian forces, if not by being stationed in the territories during their military service?
By definition, military service while stationed among a civilian population can entail inappropriate conduct. But research shows that upon being discharged from the military, it is precisely the influence of their service that increases an individual's understanding of the complexity of the situation and moderates political positions, leading to a more sober view of the "dreams" of formulating a strategic reality on the ground without taking the Palestinians into account.
In particular, service in Judea and Samaria leads to a discussion of the significance of the military presence in the territories. Many of the groups that work to improve the lives of Palestinians are either headed by active soldiers or reservists who spent time in the territories. And unfortunately for the settlers, senior officers who belong to the religious Zionist community that have commanded elite unites in the territories are far from remaining "loyal" to the theory of territorial integrity and do take the Palestinians into account.
In Israel, military service in Judea and Samaria is in fact one of the most effective barriers to the spread of the "animals in uniform" phenomenon. And if Kotler and her friends seek to bolster and ensure the preservation of the human character of Israeli society, they should launch a campaign to force every single one of Israel's citizens to spend a month serving in the territories.
