Author Questions the Army’s Tests on Women in Combat Roles

A Hebrew opinion piece argues that the IDF’s push to integrate women into combat units, including the Armored Corps, is being tested with the wrong question. The writer says the current debate, sparked by the High Court of Justice’s approval of the army’s plan, is not just about filling manpower gaps but about a major social change affecting the IDF and Israeli society.

The article says women have already been integrated into artillery, infantry in mixed battalions, field intelligence, and as combat officers in air force and navy roles. It also notes the long history of the issue, from the 1990s Alice Miller petition to today’s fierce clash between liberal supporters, who emphasize equality and self-realization, and conservative religious opponents, who argue the move weakens combat effectiveness and harms modesty and proper gender separation, known in the army as “the proper integration” framework.

According to the writer, the IDF publicly frames the issue as a technical response to a severe shortage of combat soldiers, and for years has run assessment pilots to examine both the women’s personal abilities and the system’s ability to absorb them. He says the media reports from those studies are contradictory, showing both proof of success and evidence of failure, with accusations ranging from data manipulation to lowered standards.

The writer, identifying himself as a social researcher, says the real research question should not be whether some women can meet combat standards, because that is obviously true. Instead, he says the key issue is whether enough eligible female recruits possess that level of physical and mental capacity to make the policy efficient and worthwhile. He concludes by asking whether, in the name of equality, women’s combat service should be made mandatory, except for volunteer-only units, as it is for men.