Alimuddin Usmani interviews Gilad Atzmon
Alimuddin Usmani: Israeli intelligence apparently underestimated the extent of the tunnels built by Hamas. Emerging from the tunnels, Palestinian fighters made some daring attacks that killed a number of Israeli soldiers inside Israel. Does this represent a major failure of the Israeli army?
Gilad Atzmon: The failure of the Israeli military is far greater than just the tunnels. The tunnels are not, in themselves, resistance but are, instead, a means of resistance. The tunnels did not lead Israel into this war they were a secondary military objective. The Israeli cabinet and the IDF made the tunnels an issue as soon as they realized that they were not able to articulate any other attainable objectives. In a desperate move, they made a secondary objective into a primary one so that they could depict an image of victory.
I was probably the first to predict an Israel defeat in this round of violence. I could read the map, I could see that Israel could not present its military objectives. This means that Israel’s days are numbered. Living on someone else’s land demands a willingness to sacrifice. But the Israelis are not willing to pay the ultimate price anymore. Israel is a spoiled western hedonist society. Yet Israelis are engaged in a fierce battle with Gazans - people who have been living for decades in an open air prison, are fighting for their dignity and have nothing to lose.
Alimuddin Usmani: After each massacre whether it is in a school, on the beach or in a market, the Israeli government is quick to state that the army is "investigating the incident." Why is it so important for the Hasbara to use terminology such as "The IDF is the most moral army in the world?”
Gilad Atzmon: Very simple, because it isn’t. Judaism and Jewish culture are neither ethical nor universal. They are legalistic and tribal. The great Israeli philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz made this point in the 1970s. He argued that Judaic legalism serves as a replacement for ethical thinking. Instead of an authentic ethical judgment, the Jew is asked to follow orders. Judaism provides protocols for correct behaviour. Accordingly, the Ten Commandments are an affirmation of the paucity of Jewish ethical thinking; ethical people don’t need ‘commandments’ to know that murder or theft are wrong.
Similarly, the IDF is proud of its ‘moral code,’ a set of kosher ‘ethical guidelines’ written by a uniquely shallow Israeli philosopher named Asa Kasher. If Kasher had done his homework and bothered to read Kant’s 2nd critique and grasped the meaning of the categorical imperative he would have understood that an army of ethical soldiers doesn't need an ‘ethical code.’ A ‘moral army’ trusts its soldiers to act ethically and to be able to differentiate right from wrong.
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Thursday, August 7, 2014 at 9:02AM 
A brief interview with FILELEFHTERROS, Cyprus
