IDF tells High Court it will reevaluate some parts of plan to open units to women

The State Attorney’s Office has issued a response on behalf of the Israel Defense Forces over an ongoing appeal to the High Court over apparent gender inequality in military units.

The response details a series of moves the IDF has carried out over the past year to enable women to serve in some elite units that had been previously closed off to them.

The IDF says it will continue a pilot program of female soldiers in the elite Unit 669, the Air Force’s elite helicopter-borne search and rescue unit, and Yahalom, an elite combat engineering unit.

The first female soldiers in Unit 669 will draft in November. Twelve female soldiers were drafted to Yahalom this past March, and will undergo a lengthy training period. More female soldiers are expected to draft to Yahalom in November.

The IDF meanwhile says it is delaying a plan to allow women to serve as drivers in an infantry brigade. The initial plan — which had few details and no expected start date, and the specific infantry brigade was not chosen — will be reevaluated, the IDF says.

Similarly, the IDF says it is delaying and reevaluating plans to possibly include female soldiers in the Armored Corps. This plan also had no specific details when it was initially discussed by the IDF.

Female soldiers will continue to serve in a tank unit in the Caracal mixed-gender light infantry battalion, which is stationed on the border with Egypt.