For female recruits with religious objections to serving alongside men, the women-only unit has been created
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is reportedly creating a new women-only combat unit for religious female soldiers who want to serve on the frontlines but have “modesty” concerns about being in close quarters with male troops.
According to the Times of Israel the military will begin in March assigning combat-role-playing women who enlist for the army into the new regiment. The unit will form within an existing, mixed gender border defense unit. According to the Times of Israel, IDF stated that this decision to permit more women to fight in combat units was made based on pragmatic considerations. “social agenda,”According to Times.
Reports say that the IDF was told by heads of religious seminaries about their female students who had completed high school before entering national service. “strong desire”They were not able to accept that they had to perform combat roles. “strict modesty laws.”According to the newspaper, women who consider themselves religious can choose to do their national service in civilian vocations.
Single-sex military units already exist for religious men who request these positions for similar reasons, the paper noted, adding that there are four mixed-gender infantry units within the IDF’s Border Defense Corps, which is tasked with watching over Israel’s borders with Jordan and Egypt.
The issue of female soldiers seems to be a major concern for religious leaders and those who oppose gender integration in military. Some critics, according to the newspaper, have called such measures a “travesty”. “dangerous social experiment with potential ramifications for national security.”
Detractors say that service requirements have been lowered for female combat soldiers and that the military’s effectiveness has been sacrificed in the name of gender equality.
The ongoing sensitivity surrounding the issue was highlighted by a recent Facebook spat. The Israel Hayom news outlet noted that a post on the ‘IDF Confessions’ page by a self-declared former member of a mixed-gender infantry battalion sparked controversy after they wrote that “there’s no such thing as women in combat.”
“Anyone who served in a mixed [gender] battalion knows that the men do everything considered difficult and are more trusted,”The poster stated that it was an initiative. “failed”Because “the requirement to be a [female] combat soldier is so low.”
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