IDF Says Tank Integration for Women Is Still a Pilot, Decision Not Yet Made by Chief of Staff

A day after a letter from heads of hesder yeshivas threatened rebellion and said they would not send their students to serve in the armored corps, the IDF Spokesperson issued a lengthy statement saying the move is a pilot imposed on the IDF, its results have not yet been discussed by the chief of staff, and in any case men and women will not serve together in the armored corps.

IDF Spokesperson's statement: "After about two and a half years of intense, multi-front, unprecedented war, in which the IDF's operational missions have expanded and the burden on the reserve system has increased significantly, the IDF needs every soldier and soldieress. As a people's army, the IDF sees supreme importance in integrating all populations, while making a great effort to preserve their way of life and needs, in a way that does not harm one population at the expense of another."

Letter from the heads of the yeshivas: We will not send our students to the armored corps (no credit)

In reference to the pilot for integrating women into the armored corps, the IDF spokesperson says this is a directive from the High Court of Justice to the army: "The High Court of Justice did not instruct the IDF to recruit female combat soldiers to the armored corps, but rather instructed it to carry out the planned pilot on the matter." At the same time, they clarify that "the IDF is working to integrate women into combat roles as much as possible." On the pilot, they say it is an experiment that has not yet reached the chief of staff's desk: "A pilot, as its name implies, is a first experiment for examination of the continuation. The pilot will be carried out in accordance with the joint service order, while ensuring compliance with all required operational and professional standards, and in accordance with operational need. Among all the options being examined in the pilot, there is no alternative in which men and women will serve together in the same framework."

As of now, the pilot has not yet reached the chief of staff, and the issue will be discussed in the near future. Senior IDF officials have been in continuous contact in recent months with the heads of hesder yeshivas and their representatives, alongside other figures in the national religious public, on this matter. The IDF values and appreciates the contribution of all soldiers and service members, including hesder yeshiva students, to the security effort in all arenas.