By: Fern Sidman

Professor Asa Kasher, the Israeli philosopher and academic who authored the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) ethical code, has publicly dismissed accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, describing such claims as unfounded and disconnected from the reality of IDF conduct.

In an interview with Kan Reshet Bet reported by Israel National News, Kasher addressed the allegations, which have gained traction among certain foreign governments, international media outlets, and left-wing voices inside Israel. According to Kasher, while instances of improper behavior by individual soldiers have occurred — as in any military operation — they do not amount to systematic policy, let alone an attempt at genocide.

“I have heard of certain cases of inappropriate behavior, and I know of examples of behavior that was perfectly fine,” Kasher told the broadcaster. “I cannot generalize in any way. The IDF does not give soldiers orders that align with IDF values but contradict international law.”

Kasher, a longtime scholar of military ethics and a professor emeritus of philosophy at Tel Aviv University, emphasized that his assessments are based not on theoretical assumptions but on a substantial body of evidence. Over the course of the current conflict, he has been approached by multiple international media organizations that have forwarded him videos posted online by IDF soldiers. These requests, he said, were intended to solicit his opinion on whether the actions depicted complied with the military’s code of conduct.

“I have seen hundreds of such videos,” Kasher noted. “There are endless examples of improper actions, but not a single act that can be described as genocide. I have also seen many actions inconsistent with IDF values.”

The philosopher’s comments come amid growing international scrutiny of Israeli military operations in Gaza. Since the outbreak of the war, some global human rights organizations and foreign political leaders have accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilians or obstructing humanitarian aid — charges the Israeli government and IDF have consistently rejected.

Kasher also addressed specific allegations from critics who claim that Israel is intentionally depriving Gaza’s civilian population of food and other necessities — a claim that has become central to the genocide narrative advanced in some international forums.

“I don’t care much about what they say about us or how we behave,” Kasher stated, according to the report at Israel National News. “When we are acting properly and achieving our objectives without tricks or gimmicks, then we can consider how to make the world trust our actions. What they think of us in Europe or the US is not my top concern. My main concern is the situation of the hostages and our soldiers.”

This focus on the operational and humanitarian realities on the ground — particularly the fate of Israeli hostages held by Hamas — has been a consistent theme in Kasher’s public commentary. He has argued that the ethical priorities of the IDF are rooted in both protecting Israel’s civilian population and ensuring the safety and moral conduct of its soldiers in combat.

Kasher’s role in drafting the IDF’s ethical code gives his assessment particular weight in Israeli public discourse. The code, adopted in the 1990s, outlines the moral principles guiding the army’s conduct, including the commitment to human dignity, the sanctity of life, and adherence to both Israeli law and international humanitarian law.

“I want to know whether our soldiers are acting according to the values of the IDF,” Kasher said. “If they are not, commanders must correct their conduct. If they are, that’s excellent — then we can focus on how to present this to the world.”

According to the information provided in the Israel National News report, Kasher stressed that when individual lapses occur, they should be addressed decisively at the command level to prevent repetition and to maintain the integrity of the IDF’s operational and ethical standards.

The philosopher’s remarks reflect a broader debate within Israel and among its allies about the intersection of military necessity, international law, and public perception. While critics outside Israel often frame the war in Gaza primarily in terms of Palestinian civilian suffering, Kasher and other Israeli experts contend that such narratives overlook the complexity of fighting an entrenched terrorist organization like Hamas, which embeds its military assets within civilian areas.

For Kasher, the issue is not about tailoring operations to meet foreign expectations, but about ensuring that actions on the ground reflect the core moral principles the IDF claims to uphold. As Israel National News has reported, his position underscores the view that the ultimate measure of ethical conduct lies in the military’s internal discipline and operational integrity, not in the shifting court of international opinion.

Kasher’s statements are likely to remain part of an ongoing public conversation, both within Israel and abroad, as the war continues and as international legal bodies examine claims related to the conduct of hostilities. The International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court have both faced calls to investigate Israel’s actions in Gaza, and the “genocide” accusation has become a rallying point for some anti-Israel activists.

However, as the report at Israel National News noted, Kasher’s perspective offers a counterweight to those claims, emphasizing evidence-based evaluation over political rhetoric. His insistence that the IDF does not issue orders that violate international law directly challenges one of the key pillars of the genocide accusation.

In his decades of academic and advisory work, Kasher has repeatedly argued that the moral legitimacy of military action depends on two main factors: the justness of the cause and the adherence to proportional and discriminating use of force. While acknowledging that individual misconduct can and does occur, he rejects the idea that such incidents represent official policy or strategic intent.

As the conflict unfolds, Kasher’s voice — grounded in philosophical inquiry, long study of ethics, and close familiarity with the IDF’s operational culture — will remain an influential one in shaping both domestic understanding and Israel’s efforts to articulate its case on the international stage.