Retired Brig. Gen. Ram Aminach, a researcher at Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies, told the Israel Hayom conference Sunday that the IDF should accept religious soldiers without trying to change them, arguing that doing so would restore trust from religious families. "If we keep trying to change him, we will keep fighting here for another two hundred years," he said.
Retired Brig. Gen. Ram Aminach, a researcher at Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies, addressed the Israel Hayom conference on Sunday with a clear message regarding the widening rift over religious soldiers in the IDF. Aminach said: 'I want to return to the Haredi mother her son exactly as she sent him to the army; if we do that, she will send him. If we keep trying to change him, we will keep fighting here for another two hundred years.'
The statement comes amid ongoing tensions between the military establishment and some religious and Haredi communities, including rabbis who have recently threatened to bar students from serving in tank units over a pilot integrating women into the Armored Corps. As The Zioneer reported on June 25, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir called for unity at a cadets ceremony, saying the military needs every male and female combat soldier and commander. The remarks by Aminach, a retired senior officer, reflect a conciliatory approach that contrasts with more combative rhetoric on both sides of the debate.
No details were available on any specific policy change or official response to Aminach's remarks.
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