The IDF responded to the letter from hesder yeshiva heads who halted Armored Corps enlistment over gender integration, stating that the High Court did not order female soldiers into the Armored Corps and that men and women will not serve in the same framework, according to a report by Nitzan Shapira of N12. The military also said it needs every soldier amid the multi-front war and seeks to accommodate communities' needs while integrating all populations.
The IDF's response comes hours after the heads of 12 hesder yeshivas sent a letter to the Chief of Staff opposing the integration of women into the Armored Corps — a move that halted recruitment from those yeshivas and escalated a simmering public dispute. As The Zioneer reported earlier today, the yeshiva heads expressed frustration that their concerns were being dismissed by the military. The army's reply, first reported by Nitzan Shapira (N12), clarifies what it sees as a key factual error: the High Court of Justice did not mandate that women be assigned to the Armored Corps; rather, the military's own integration policy is internal. The IDF also emphasized that men and women will not serve in the same frameworks, a reassurance aimed at religious soldiers. The statement reaffirms the army's position that it needs every able soldier — male and female — after two and a half years of intensive combat on multiple fronts, and that it considers accommodating the needs of different communities essential. The yeshivas have not yet issued a formal response to the IDF's clarification. The dispute has drawn reactions from across the political spectrum, with liberal local authorities condemning the boycott as harmful exclusion. The wider question of ultra-Orthodox and religious-nationalist enlistment remains a live national issue.
6 developments
- DevelopingIDF may cut pre-draft service year and extend yeshiva students' service amid fighter shortage
- DevelopingHundreds of Mir yeshiva students receiving legal guidance ahead of possible military arrest
- DevelopingHesder Yeshiva Union says in ongoing talks with IDF to enable halakha-compliant enlistment to Armored Corps
- DevelopingPre-army academy head says Armored Corps mixed pilot threatens religious soldiers
Source and signal
- Internal intake