Jewish Views on War and Peace

The existential threat of Amalek.

"A democracy must often fight with one hand tied behind its back."

Jewish law on the proper treatment of prisoners of war

The concept of peace is deeply ingrained in the Jewish legal and ethical system.

According to at least one scholar, Jewish tradition does not recognize the right of personal conscientious objection.

Extending a biblical exemption from military service to Israeli refuseniks.

Deuteronomy's laws of warfare include the requirement that a nation seek a peaceful settlement before engaging in war.

Establishing a new program of Jewish resistance.

The Bible has a number of models for nonviolent resistance.

Few traditional sources discuss the ethics of fighting noncombatants, but some Jewish laws of war do display a moral genesis.