Male and female combat soldiers in the Caracal unit
Male and female combat soldiers in the Caracal unitPhoto: Hadas Parush/Flash 90

New standing orders regarding various issues revolving around mixed-gender service in the IDF, and the degree of concessions to soldiers' religious sensibilities in these matters, are expected to be officially published over the course of this week, this according to a Sunday report in Haaretz.

The update to the orders has been worked on for the past five years. Recently, Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot ordered that the process be expedited.

Among other things, the new orders attempt to resolve issues such as regulations in mixed-gender units, military ceremonies, women singing, dress codes, and more.

According to military sources, one of the principles that will be emphasized in the new standing orders will be a differentiation between what is expected of officers and what is expected of regular soldiers.

The IDF will continue to operate military outfits for men only even within units that contain women. This means that a religious soldier will always have the option of serving in a men-only company within a battalion where other companies are mixed-gender.

However, officers will not be able to request similar dispensations such as leaving ceremonies in which women are singing, as they are deemed to have larger responsibilities of representing the state and the army, and thus cannot benefit from special dispensations.

Deans of hesder yeshivas had complained bitterly about changes for the worse in the IDF's behavior towards religious scruples of soldiers, including forcing them to listen to women singing, serving in mixed units and shaving beards.