Spirit of Zahal

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Zahal (IDF) –Tzva Hahagana Le Israel ,Army for the Defense of Israel

Tzva Hahagana Le Israel, is the armed forces of the state of Israel.

Zahal is operating under the civil and democratic authority and the rules of the country.

Zahal’s purpose is to defend the existence of the state of Israel and its independence, and stop the enemy’s efforts to interfere with normal life.

Zahal soldiers are obliged to fight, and dedicate all their strenghts , and  risk their life in order to defend the state of Israel, its citizens and residents.

Zahal soldiers will operate according to Zahal values and orders, while observing the laws of the state and honoring human being’s rights/respect, and honoring the values of the state of Israel as a democratic Jewish state.

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Zahal Spirit definition and resources

Zahal Spirit is the values’ ID of Zahal, which should stand as a base to every activity of every male or female soldier in the Zahal environment in mandatory service and reserves.

Zahal’s Spirit and everything related to it is the ethic code of Zaha”l.

Zahal’s spirit will be used in Zahal soldiers, commanders, any units and forces in designing their ways of activities. According to the spirit of Zahal they will educate, and control themselves and others.

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Zahal Spirit is stemmed from 4 sources:

-Zahal’s tradition and its fighting legacy as Israel Defense Army.

-The tradition of the State of Israel, based on the democratic principles, its laws and offices/administration.

-The Jewish people’s traditions for decades

-The universal ethics based on the value of human beings his/her respect/honor

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Basic Values

Defending the country, its citizens and residents

Zahal’s purpose is to defend and protect the existence of the state of Israel, its independence and the security of its citizens and residents.

Love of the country and loyalty to the country.

The foundation of serving in Zahal is based on the love to the country, the commitment and loyalty to the state of Israel- a democratic state that serves as a national home to the Jewish people-its citizens and residents.

Man’s Dignity

Zahal and its soldiers are committed to respecting man’s dignity. Every human has value that is not a condition of origin, religion, nationality, sex, position or role.

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The Values

Focusing on the mission and seeking victory

The soldier will fight and will act courageously in spite of all the dangers and obstacles that will be faced. He/she will stick to his/her mission assertively and wisely, even risking life if needed.

Responsibility

The soldier will see himself/herself as an active partner in defending the security of the state, its citizens and residents.

The soldier will act while continuously showing involvement, intuition, following through in common sense within his/her authority, while being responsible for the results of his/her deeds.

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Reliability

The soldier will present things the way they are, complete and accurate, in planning, in conduct and reporting, and will act in a way that his colleagues, commanders will be able to trust him/her doing and conducting the missions.

Personal example

The soldier will act as requested, and will do whatever he requests his colleague to do, while acknowledging his/her ability and responsibility, in the army and outside , to be a respectable example.

Human’s life

The soldier will act with common sense and safety in all his/her activities, acknowledging the supreme value of human life. A fighting soldier will risk his/her life, and his/her colleagues’ as needed in order to accomplish the mission.

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Purity of weapon

The soldier will use his/her weapon and his force only for conducting the mission, only as much as needed and will ensure human sensitivity even at battle.

The soldier will NOT use a weapon or force in order to hurt people who are not fighting, or prisoners, and will do his/her utmost to prevent hurting their life, body, dignity or  property.

Professionalism

The soldier will strive to acquire the professional knowledge and the skills needed to perform his/her duty, and will implement it continuously while attempting to improve personal and unit achievements. 

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Discipline

The soldier will do his/her utmost in order to fully and successfully perform whatever is requested to do according to the orders and its spirit.

The soldier will make sure he/she gives only legal orders, and will not obey orders that are obviously illegal.

Collegiality

The soldier’s act will evolve from friendship and dedication to his/her friends to the service, and will always assist them when they are in need or depend on him/her, in spite of any danger or difficulty, even risking his/her life.

Mission

The soldier will consider his/her army service as a mission; and will be willing to contribute whatever he/she can to defend the country, its citizens, and residents.

Doing this, they are a representative of Zahal operating with validity and within the scope of the authorities given to it according to the army orders.

Document and Translation provided by Elan Schefflein