"Unlicensed" war in Jewish tradition: sources, consequences and implications

The prevalence of military activity in the experience of modern Israel has recently generated several attempts to compare western teachings on warfare and its exercise with those found in Jewish sources. The present article constitutes a contribution to that enterprise, focusing on attitudes towards what are here termed ‘unlicensed wars’ in the overall just war tradition. The article first defines that specific category of armed conflict, arguing that ‘unlicensed wars’ are characterized by a failure to follow the constitutional procedures required to set the military apparatus in motion. It then goes on to analyze specifically Jewish textual traditions relating to the consequences of this situation. Finally, the paper discusses the broader messages conveyed by the term ‘unlicensed war’, demonstrating how it reflects the Jewish conception of the polity as a covenantal community.