Speaking at the 'Ez BaNamer' conference of the Hotem organization, reserve Col. Hezi Nechama described how women's organizations led to the lowering of the combat fitness threshold in the IDF's premier officer course. He said accommodations such as a bench for the wall and a sticker on the rope indicating female cadets did not need to climb to the top undermined operational standards. Nechama added that he approached base and ground forces commanders but was told the forces behind integrating women were stronger, and that a mixed battalion commander admitted to separate thresholds for men and women, calling it a 'lie we tell ourselves.'
Reserve Col. Hezi Nechama, a former battalion commander of the 'Gefen' battalion at the IDF's Officer Training School (Bahad 1), leveled sharp criticism at the lowering of the combat fitness threshold in the officer course, attributing the change to women's organizations. Speaking at the 'Ez BaNamer' conference organized by the Hotem association, Nechama provided specific examples of accommodations he encountered during his tenure: a bench placed before the wall for female cadets to climb over, and a sticker on the rope indicating they were not required to ascend to the top. He described these as undermining the operational standard.
Nechama said he approached the base commander and the ground forces commander at the time, but was told that the forces advocating for women's integration were stronger and that restoring the threshold was impossible. He also recounted a conversation with a battalion commander of a mixed-gender battalion, who acknowledged there are separate thresholds for men and women — a situation Nechama called 'a lie we tell ourselves.'
The remarks add to an ongoing debate about gender integration in the IDF, which has seen a series of policy changes in recent years. Earlier this month, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir published criteria for a pilot to integrate women into the Armored Corps, stipulating that they would serve in separate frameworks and that mixed-gender tank crews would not be considered, as The Zioneer previously reported. The lowering of standards in combat training has been a recurring point of contention, with critics arguing it compromises readiness.
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