When the Israelites conquered Jericho they were specifically instructed to avoid plunder. But, as the Book of Joshua tells us, Achan, from the tribe of Judah, violated this order and as a result "the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel." Back then the entire nation had to pay the price for the corruption of one individual: it was trounced in the battle over the Canaanite city of Ai. Only after purging those tainted by the looting, corruption, criminality and selfishness by burning them alive did the Israelites regain their strength. The story recounted in the Book of Joshua seems as if it could have taken place in 2011 with minor changes. Conventional wisdom sees such acts of corruption as natural as breathing; human beings have an innate tendency to do wrong. If we were to follow this rationale, we would not make such a fuss from the news that a promising senior officer who had been posted along the Gaza border broke our moral code and engaged in drug trafficking of confiscated substances. We would also dismiss the claim made by Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz that such behavior represents a clear moral failure. This has always been the case, we would tell ourselves; there is nothing new under the sun; more such cases will be uncovered, both inside and outside the ranks of the Israel Defense Forces. But the chief of general staff is right. Just like the Passover Haggadah tells us that every generation has to confront a new enemy keen on destroying us, so too do we have to deal with enemies from within that employ corruption against us. But our society must push back against them using the rule of law and our morals as if this was the mother of all battles after which no corruption would be manifested. Failure to adopt such an unrelenting policy towards corruption would make it impossible to minimize it to manageable levels that would allow a normal society to flourish and triumph over its foreign enemies. How could the commander of the very troops tasked with fighting the drug wars along the border allegedly engage in a scheme to sell the confiscated drugs for his own profit? How could he betray the trust of his subordinates and use their lives and trust as a money-making machine? He is innocent until proven guilty. No one questions that. But assuming he confesses to the crimes, just like Achan did before the Israelites 3,200 years ago, law enforcement must punish him in an unprecedented way, to the full extent of the law. The IDF should also engage in an anti-corruption information campaign within its ranks to highlight the real threat posed by corruption and the moral blemishes it entails. Some veteran Israelis still long for the IDF that Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion had in mind, a vision shared and amplified by Prime Minister Menachem Begin as well. They do not have any contempt for the army and do not want to make it into an all-volunteer, aka mercenary, army, as some have proposed. And they agree with the chief of general staff. In their version of the IDF, when a bright officer engages in corruption this is not just another criminal case that is limited to the individual, but rather a moral and ethical failure.
Get the Israel Hayom newsletter sent to your mailbox!
Like our newsletter? 'Like' our Facebook page!
