IDF chief blasts efforts to gender-segregate military service

Army chief Aviv Kohavi rails against efforts by external groups to change the way men and women serve together in the Israel Defense Forces.

“For years, and also recently, I have encountered attempts by figures outside the military to dictate the rules of behavior of soldiers, like, for example, disseminating directives regarding the joint service of women and men in the IDF,” Kohavi says.

“I want to be loud and clear on this matter — the people who set the orders, the protocols and the norms for the IDF are only the commanders, with me at the top,” he says.

The army chief makes his remarks at a graduation ceremony for new IDF officers. He lauds female soldiers’ contributions to the military throughout its history.

“Regarding the service of women in the IDF, this ceremony, with 70 female officers, speaks for itself. The women who serve in the IDF are a source of power and strength, and your contribution to every unit in the military is enormous. Women and men will continue to serve together, as a single unit, toward one goal, for the betterment of the State of Israel,” he says.

— Judah Ari Gross