In a world increasingly clouded by misinformation, social media echo chambers, and performative outrage, there remains a stubborn truth that must be told: the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are the most ethical military force in the world today. That’s not a slogan—it’s a reality grounded in fact, in policy, and in a repeated pattern of restraint rarely, if ever, seen in modern warfare.
The IDF faces an impossible task: defending a free and democratic state the size of New Jersey from enemies that surround it, openly call for its destruction, and hide behind civilians while launching rockets into Israeli cities. No other nation has endured the same constant barrage of threats—from Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iranian proxy militias in Syria—while also upholding such a high standard of moral conduct in warfare.
Let’s be clear: Israel is not fighting another uniformed army across a clear battlefield. They are combating terror networks that use schools, hospitals, and residential buildings as cover. Hamas places missile launchers next to playgrounds. Their operatives dress as civilians. They use mosques to store weapons. It’s not speculation; it’s documented fact.
Yet in the face of these challenges, the IDF goes to unprecedented lengths to avoid civilian casualties. Before any strike in Gaza or elsewhere, Israel frequently distributes thousands of leaflets warning residents to evacuate areas where terrorists are operating. The IDF uses precision tactics that include direct phone calls to residents, text messages, and even “roof-knocking”—a non-lethal warning strike—before targeting a known terrorist operative or weapons depot.
Name one other military in the world that routinely calls the enemy’s neighbors before firing. You can’t. The United States, United Kingdom, Russia, China—not one of them does this with the consistency and transparency of the IDF.
Drone surveillance is another key part of Israel’s ethical warfare doctrine. Every IDF drone operator is trained to identify not just targets, but the presence of non-combatants, even children, in a strike zone. If there’s any doubt about civilian presence, the mission is often delayed or aborted entirely.
Israel’s critics never mention this. They shout “genocide” from their Ivy League podiums and post trending hashtags from the safety of Brooklyn coffee shops, but they never acknowledge the context. They ignore Hamas’s strategy of using its own people as human shields, because admitting that would shatter their convenient narrative.
And let’s talk about proportionality—a term that’s been weaponized to demand Israel respond to terrorism with softness or surrender. What’s proportional when your children are running to bomb shelters? What’s a proportionate response when over 1,400 Israelis are slaughtered in their homes, when women are raped and dragged across the border by terrorists who livestream their war crimes?
Proportionality doesn’t mean body count math. It means ending the threat. When America was attacked on 9/11, we launched a two-decade war across the globe to stop al-Qaeda. Israel faces these kinds of threats every single day, and responds with far more restraint than most nations would tolerate.
Consider the IDF’s conduct during recent conflicts. During Operation Guardian of the Walls in 2021, over 4,300 rockets were fired at Israeli cities from Gaza. The IDF responded not by leveling Gaza indiscriminately, but with precision strikes on Hamas military targets. Over 90% of rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome, a defensive system that protects Israeli civilians while Hamas uses theirs as fodder for global propaganda.
It is also worth noting that Israel takes responsibility for its actions in a way no dictatorship or terror regime ever would. When mistakes happen, the IDF investigates them. There are real inquiries, real consequences, and real accountability. In contrast, Hamas celebrates when civilians die—Israeli or Palestinian. Their strategy depends on it. Every casualty is a propaganda win for their cause, and many in the Western media play right into their hands.
The IDF has field hospitals that treat Palestinian civilians. Israeli doctors have treated injured Syrians fleeing Assad. And yet, Israel is vilified while regimes that commit true atrocities—like Iran, China, and Russia—face barely a whisper of condemnation on college campuses and in fashionable protest marches.
This selective outrage reveals the true agenda: it’s not about peace. It’s about delegitimizing Israel’s right to exist and defend itself. These are not anti-war movements; they are anti-Israel movements wrapped in moral posturing.
As Americans—especially Republicans—we must stand with Israel not just out of alliance, but out of shared values. Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East. It champions women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, religious freedom, and the rule of law in a region where such things are the exception, not the norm.
The IDF is not perfect—no military is. But it is committed to the defense of life, even in the midst of war. That commitment should be respected, not ridiculed. Every missile Israel intercepts is a life saved. Every leaflet dropped is a message: “We value human life—even the lives of those who live among our enemies.”
To those who scream “Free Palestine” while ignoring Hamas tyranny: ask yourself if you’d ever be willing to live under the rule of those you defend. Because in Israel, even amid war, Arabs vote, protest, hold office, and serve on the Supreme Court. In Gaza, dissent gets you thrown off a rooftop.
Israel and the IDF do not just fight for survival—they fight for civilization. And in doing so, they hold the line not only for their own people but for all who believe that moral clarity still matters in a world of moral confusion.
Carolyn Spencer is a conservative columnist and policy analyst based in Maryland. She is a proud supporter of Israel and its right to self-defense.
Contact her at Carolyn.Spencer@mcgopclub.com.
Direct Line News is a Maryland-based free-access publication committed to the Republican reform tradition.
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