IDF chief on ethics issues: Our camp must be pure

"Our camp must be pure," Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said Tuesday, commenting publicly for the first time on recent questions regarding military ethics.

Ashkenazi was speaking to new Israel Defense Forces recruits at the Tel Hashomer induction base, outside Tel Aviv.

The chief of staff also commented for the first time on allegations that the army had used human shields during its Gaza Strip operation this year. "We are not aware of any use of the 'neighbor procedure,'" Ashkenazi said.

The allegations were reported by Breaking the Silence, which collects soldier testimonies.

However, Ashkenazi emphasized that the situation in Gaza during the operation was different from that on which the High Court based its prohibition. "It must be remembered that [Cast Lead] was a battle situation, not a situation involving an occupied population, and that is different," he said.

Ashkenazi said the IDF takes all complaints seriously.

"We appointed special commissions to review the matter and are dealing with complaints. We cannot deal with anonymous complaints without speaking with soldiers themselves, and if the soldier is not willing to say what happened where, then we cannot address it," Ashkenazi said.

"It is important to us that our camp be pure. The IDF acted properly, in accordance with its own spirit and in accordance with international law; there were irregular incidents, and we prosecuted [the suspects]," he said.

The new recruits were enlisting in the Infantry Corps' Kfir Brigade, which has been linked to abuses against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.

Ashkenazi said he views these cases as "exceptions." He praised the brigade's performance, saying, "many civilians in Judea and Samaria owe their security to the brigade."

He characterized as "an exception" an incident involving the brigade's commander, Col. Itai Virov, who was reprimanded for justifying hitting Palestinian detainees under certain circumstances. Virov made his comments during the trial of one of his soldiers, who was accused of hitting a Palestinian during an arrest in the West Bank.

"We are very clear about how we use force and our message is unified throughout the command," Ashkenazi said.

Ashkenazi did not single out Virov, who accompanied the chief of staff on his visit, for praise.

Virov, speaking publicly for the first time since the reprimand, said the brigade "studies ethical issues as part of its professional training. It's an integral part of our activity."

Regarding the tension on the Lebanese border, Ashkenazi said the IDF is closely monitoring the situation there but but does not anticipate hostilities to break out.

Ashkenazi reiterated his opposition to having the IDF, rather than police officers, evacuate West Bank outposts, but stressed that the army will "obey any directives" and that it is subordinate to the political leadership.