Around 20 senior female reserve officers in the Israel Defense Forces and in the defense establishment have asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to protect the rights of women amid concerns that integrating the ultra-Orthodox into the army could affect those rights. The female reserve officers, many with the rank of brigadier-general and colonel, as well as a former senior official in the Mossad, a senior officer in the police, and representatives of the "Women in Policy and Security" forum recently sent Netanyahu a letter titled, "Yes to equality of the national burden, no to harming women's service [in the army]." The letter comes as the government works to formulate an alternative to the Tal Law, which was legislated to encourage the ultra-Orthodox to join the workforce, but in practice it effectively exempted them from mandatory military service. Earlier this year, the High Court of Justice ruled that the law was unconstitutional and ordered the legislature to revoke the law and formulate an alternative that would see all of Israel's citizens share the burden of service equally. The Tal Law is set to expire next month. The group of female reserve and active duty officers also sent their letter to Vice Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Kadima MK Yohanan Plesner, chairman of the Knesset's Plesner Committee, which has been tasked with finding an alternative to the Tal Law. In the letter, the officers wrote, "Over the past year we have been exposed to alarming reports of religious extremism in many military settings. There have been several reports of cases in which women were excluded within the army and of violations of female soldiers' rights due to demands by external figures and religious and haredi commanders. As individuals who hold senior positions within the defense establishment, we call on you not to promote equality of the national burden while sacrificing the rights of female soldiers. We have been watching from the sidelines how religious extremism has emerged within the IDF. This may unfortunately become worse with the implementation of a new law [requiring haredim to serve in the army], which does not take into account the gender implications arising from the recruitment of haredim on female soldiers' service and integration in various roles and units in the army. We call on the [Plesner] Committee to ensure, in its final recommendations, the continuation of equality for female soldiers in the IDF. We believe that in view of efforts to promote equality of the burden, we must also preserve the rights of all male and female soldiers in the IDF today, and not correct one injustice by creating another." The letter was signed by, among others, Brig. Gen. (res) Rachel Dolev, the former military prosecutor and military censor; Lt. Gen. Orit Adato, the former Israel Prison Service commissioner; attorney Eti Livni, a representative from the "Women in Policy and Security" forum and a former MK and member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee; Brig. Gen. (res) Yehudit Ben-Nathan, a former officer in the IDF Women's Corps; Niraleh Gal, a former senior official in the Mossad; Brig. Gen. (res) Suzy Yogev, chief advisor to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz on women's affairs; Brig. Gen. (res) Ruth Yaron, the former IDF spokeswoman; and Brig. Gen. (res) Israela Oron, a former officer in the IDF Women's Corps and deputy head of the National Security Council. Meanwhile, the Plesner Commission announced on Sunday that it is considering, among other things, a recommendation to shorten by four months the standard military service of soldiers not serving in combat units. According to the recommendation, combat soldiers will continue to serve for three years but during their last four months of service they will receive monetary compensation, which will see a significant increase to their wages.
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שיתוף כתבה
Officers warn - haredi enlistment, but not instead of women's rights
Senior female reserve officers call on Netanyahu "not to promote equality of the national burden while sacrificing the rights of female soldiers" • Warn that "religious extremism in the IDF may become worse" with implementation of Tal Law alternative.