Female IDF soldiers
Female IDF soldiersFlash 90

While there is nothing wrong with females serving in the IDF, according to IDF reserve General Raz Sagie, they have no place on the battlefield. Speaking to Arutz Sheva on the occasion of the publication of his new book, Sagie said that the presence of women on the battlefield harms the ability of the army to do its job, and endangers all soldiers in the area.

“In recent months there has been an organized campaign to convince us that the principles of equality requires female participation on the battlefield, but for me and many other veteran soldiers, the security of the country is the primary value that the IDF must be concerned with,” said Sagie. “If we had several armies, we could use one of them for equality purposes, and one for defense purposes. But we have only one army, and we need it for security.”

Experience has shown that women who enter combat corps end up with serious injuries and physical conditions resulting from the serious physical stress they face. While they are highly motivated when they start their service, the reality of battlefield stress quickly makes them realize they made a big mistake, said Sagie. A number of these women have sued the army, demanding compensation for these injuries, and holding the army responsible because it allowed them to join combat units.

The IDF has seesawed on the issue for years, first allowing women into combat units, then halting the practice – only to restore it after pressure by feminist groups. No other army in the world has women in the kind of combat units that the IDF does, he added. “This is not an issue of equality, but security and safety. The IDF must stand firm on this issue.”