Professor Avi Sagi of the Hartman Institute, one of the authors of the IDF code of ethics known as “Ruach Tzahal,” recently explained in an article why he worked to omit the “value of victory” from the army’s values document. He said he feared the Israeli right, especially the religious right, would misuse the term and turn it into a justification for war crimes.
According to Sagi, if victory is treated as the sole purpose of war, it means the “complete destruction of the enemy.” He linked that idea to what he called “messianic” right-wing thinking, in which the enemy is portrayed as Amalek and must be annihilated. He also argued that the Israeli right has a fascist worldview that undermines universal human values, disconnects Israel from humanity, and could turn soldiers into “hardened human beings” insensitive to others.
The article adds that the Defense Ministry transferred about 28 million shekels to the Hartman Institute, where Sagi worked alongside the IDF. It argues that the army not only allowed his political views and ideology into its values document, but also paid millions for them from the state budget.
The Hartman Institute rejected the accusation, saying the value of victory already appears in Ruach Tzahal and that Sagi’s article defines the IDF mission as defending the lives of Israel’s citizens and residents, which is the real meaning of victory. It said the article opposes defining victory as the “complete destruction of the enemy,” and insisted that Hartman is a Zionist institute committed to Israel’s security and to its ability to defeat its enemies while preserving both military and moral superiority. It also accused Channel 14 of running a political campaign, not a serious discussion, and of diverting attention from the failures of October 7, the need for real lessons learned, and a state commission of inquiry.
