Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Israel Defense Forces Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz were caught on tape cracking jokes at the expense of female soldiers during a Golani Brigade exercise. Upon realizing he was being documented, Gantz tried to prevent the tape from becoming public. The jokes referred to the recent public uproar over the refusal of religious soldiers to participate in ceremonies in which women soldiers sang. Golani Brigade Commander Col. Ofek Buchris, who was also in on the joke, then remarked, "During the break they start to sing if they sing solo it won't be a problem. It'll be fine." To this, Barak replied, "There's one girl here, Dana, from the minister's press office. She's from a moshav. She can sing without her uniform on, that way it'll be more
" Buchris added, "As long as her uniform is off but her clothes are on, it's fine." The three were unaware that they were being documented by an Army Radio reporter. Immediately following the exchange, the chief of staff approached the reporter, saying, "Army Radio is not broadcasting this event. Even if this is the scoop of your life, it stays on your tape recorder." He later approached a Channel 2 news reporter who was also there, saying half-jokingly, "The same goes for you. Otherwise, this will be your last news item, and that would be a pity
" There is a set of unspoken rules that govern the conduct of reporters who are invited by IDF top brass to cover drills. Some of what is said is not to be made public. These rules are accepted by both sides, allowing top IDF officials to feel comfortable in the presence of reporters. The joke shared by the three career soldiers sparked a backlash on Tuesday, with MK Zahava Gal-On (Meretz) saying, "Jokes at the expense of female soldiers are a base vulgarization reminiscent of the top echelon of the IDF in the 1950s. It's no wonder women are being excluded in the military if that's the attitude of the commander." Head of the Israel Women's Network Rina Bar-Tal was also outraged, saying, "There are battalions of young soldiers who idolize the chief of staff, and there are generations of fighters who still think of the defense minister as a hero. Heroes don't behave this way." The Defense Ministry refused to comment on the event. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit issued a statement saying that, "The chief of general staff wants to clarify that his remarks were made in jest and that the commentary attached to them is contrary to his world view and to his proven track record of advancing women's status in the IDF. The chief of general staff would like to apologize to anyone who was insulted by his words."
"Who are these girls here-" Barak asked Gantz. "Are they from the battalion? From the brigade? From the division-" The latter jokingly replied, "They're the ones who sing during the breaks."
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