IDF Officer School Posts 'No Women Allowed' Sign at Recruit Dorms

A sign reading "No Entry for Women" was recently posted at the entrance to the Gefen Battalion's recruit dormitories at the IDF's Officer School (Bahad 1). The Gefen Battalion is a unit for completing military professions for infantry corps, a segment of the officer's course specifically for infantry brigades like the Paratroopers and Golani, which do not have female combat soldiers. This contrasts with units like Caracal, which do include female soldiers.

Initially, some personnel at the base speculated the sign was related to the recent presence of cadets from the Hasmonean Brigade, an ultra-Orthodox unit, who were attending a combined combat series there. They believed the sign was intended to prevent interaction between the brigade's soldiers and women. However, the IDF clarified that the sign was not placed at the entrance to the battalion's area but rather at the entrance to the recruit dormitories.

The IDF stated the sign's wording was incorrect and that it was meant to prohibit female soldiers from entering the male soldiers' living quarters. The correct phrasing, according to the joint service order, should have been 'Soldiers' quarters, entry forbidden for female soldiers.' The army emphasized that the sign was a poorly executed standard notice, not a significant policy change.