Israeli army chief tells religious Zionist rabbis: women’s combat integration will continue

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir met on Tuesday with leaders of hesder yeshivas amid anger in the religious Zionist sector over the army’s decision to expand a pilot program integrating female soldiers into the armored corps. The meeting laid bare the tension between the demands of a prolonged war and the IDF’s effort to keep its partnership with the religious community intact.

Zamir opened by praising the contribution of hesder students in combat, saying they stand on the front line of the “people’s army” alongside other groups and have shown strong operational results. He then made the army’s position clear: “The IDF faces unprecedented challenges, suffers from a shortage of thousands of fighters, and needs every available person to strengthen the achievements of the campaign.”

He said the expansion of women’s combat roles will continue because it is “a strategic operational necessity,” adding that new frameworks and open positions will be implemented in line with the common service order, “without compromising.” He stressed that the goal is to keep all parts of Israeli society inside one army, even under difficult circumstances.

The rabbis said they would continue encouraging meaningful service, but they presented Zamir with the difficulties faced by observant soldiers and demanded guarantees that every soldier could serve without giving up values and beliefs. The article says the religious Zionist sector remains a cornerstone of the IDF’s combat force, while Zamir is also dealing with wider operational pressures, including preparedness for a possible Iran front and renewed fighting in Lebanon.