More on women in the Israeli Defense Force:
The Defense Service Law of 1959 defines and regulates the
obligation of service in the Israel Defense Forces. According to
the Law, all citizens and permanent residents of the State of
Israel are required to perform military service. All women
between the ages of 18 and 26, who are physically fit, unmarried,
have not borne children, and have not objected on religious
grounds or grounds of conscience must fulfill their military
obligation.
Women currently perform compulsory military service in the
IDF for a period of one year and nine months (as compared with 3
years service required of male conscripts).
Though women can serve in support and combat
support roles in the IDF, they have, until
recently, been prohibited from engaging in actual
combat. This
situation has changed following a recent Supreme
Court ruling.
Following a recent Supreme Court ruling, which upheld the
petition of a servicewoman (Alice Miller) to be allowed to apply
for Flight School, the Defense Service Law was amended in 1995 to
enable servicewomen to attend Flight School, and woman recruits
to serve in units outside the IDF ORBAT (women may thus serve in
the police force and in the border police in such roles as
paramilitary border police in combat positions, border post
inspectors, etc).
Israel Defense Force Photo
Over the course of the years, the number of military
occupational specialties open to women in the IDF has expanded
and today most military professions are open to women. Women have
long served in technological positions, intelligence, operations
and training. Likewise, women can be found servicing IDF
computerized systems, working as computer programmers, smart
weapons systems operators, electronics technicians, etc.
In February 1998 for the first time in its history, the IDF
decided to allow women to cross into enemy territory while on
military missions. The decision was reached by the Air Force
and the IDF human resources branch and pertained specifically
to airborne female physicians.
Israel Defense Force Photo
Source: Israel Defense Force
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Unless otherwise noted contents © 1996 to date by Captain Barbara A. Wilson, USAF (Ret)
