Only clear rules, command chain, can let IDF avoid internal conflict due to religion - editorial
The IDF's reality, where it wants both women and religious men serving together, demands clear rules, common sense, and commanders who know the soldiers they lead.
At least seven soldiers from the Givati Brigade's Rotem Battalion were imprisoned for defying orders to board a military vehicle with a female medic during a Gaza operation. They contended that the vehicle's limited space contravened IDF regulations and agreements with religious-Zionist yeshivas. The IDF claimed that religious soldiers can perform duties in a segregated environment, barring rare exceptions, and that the mission was halted due to the soldiers' refusal.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich supported the soldiers, emphasizing their "right and duty" to serve while maintaining their faith. As head of religious Zionism, he vowed to hold the IDF accountable. The IDF has inquiries of its own. Religious-Zionist soldiers have endured significant hardships since the October 7 attack. Young Hesder volunteers and graduates have been deployed to combat and reserve units.
The military must respect their religious obligations and honor the Joint Service Order and agreements with yeshivas. The Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, stated in June that integrating must enable sectors to serve together without one disadvantaging the other. The army should investigate whether commanders adhered to the framework pledged to religious personnel and whether the female medic's presence in the vehicle met the order's exceptional circumstances criterion.
Warfare dismantles meticulously planned systems. The October 7 massacre demonstrated precisely that truth. Col. Shemer Raviv, previously commander of the Paran Brigade and a resident of the religious-Zionist community, recounted his experience on the battlefield. On the day of the massacre, a female tank crew arrived at the scene; Raviv climbed in, joined the crew, and directed their fire.
He later recounted his battle alongside women in intense confrontations and his admiration for female soldiers' flawless performance. That same day, female tank crews fought at Holit and Sufa, while male and female medics cared for wounded under fire. Throughout the war, female medics entered Gaza with male combat units. A female medic even spent a month in a vehicle with observant soldiers after a rabbi ruled that saving lives justified it.
These instances reveal that religious observance and mixed-gender service have collided under the most challenging circumstances and been resolved. When a soldier is injured in Gaza, no one questions if the medic is male or female. When no alternative exists, the commander issues the order, and the soldiers comply. Religious soldiers should receive the accommodations they were promised when the mission permits it.
The military should make every reasonable effort to avoid disputes over religious practices. When no realistic alternative exists, the commander issues the order, and the soldiers follow it. Soldiers may assert religious objections; commanders should listen and seek a practical solution when possible. The army's rabbis should mediate disputes before they escalate within an APC.
The rules must be clear enough so soldiers understand them before entering Gaza. Smotrich's support for the soldiers was excessive. Civilian rabbis do not command IDF units, nor do politicians. That is where Smotrich erred. As a cabinet minister, he can demand an explanation from the IDF and question whether it breached its promises to religious soldiers.
Backing soldiers politically after they refused an operational order sends another message: defy first, and political protection follows. Apply that principle throughout the army: a religious soldier follows his rabbi; a secular reservist follows his political conscience; another soldier listens to an activist group; every community receives its own veto.
No army can function that way. Israel desires more religious soldiers in uniform, including Haredim who doubt the military's commitment to their way of life, while women serve in combat and medical roles. This reality necessitates clear rules, common sense, and commanders who understand the soldiers they lead. The IDF should uphold its promises to religious soldiers and respect the women who serve with them.
When an operational order is given, there should be no ambiguity about who commands the army. Common sense, mutual trust, and clear lines of authority can make this possible. Without them, the IDF risks losing some of its most dedicated religious soldiers while making Haredi recruitment even more challenging than it already is.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
