Israel army sees increasing number of women taking combat roles

JERUSALEM, Oct. 22  — At one of the outposts in the outskirts of Jerusalem, three female guard soldiers stood at the entrance.
One of their commanders is First Lieutenant Tzlil Cohen, a 23-year-old officer at the Caracal coed battalion. The battalion soldiers are mostly women, while most of the commander positions in the unit are also held by women.
Cohen is highly motivated and determined to continue, and enjoys every minute of her service, despite difficulties she said she encountered in the beginning when joining the army at the age of 18.
“It was beyond my expectations,” she said with a chuckle, “I am surprised again and again and I enjoy myself. Even if at the moment it is hard, in the end everything is an experience … The stories and experiences I have from the army are crazy and I do not regret a single moment.”
It arouses controversy for females serving in the army in Israel.
For religious men serving in the military, being close to women is problematic. Leading rabbis in Israel have voiced their strong opposition to integration of women into combat roles.
For decades, women served in non-combat roles, mainly as clerks or other supporting roles.
But, as society in Israel changed so did the army. Since the mid 1980s when more roles became available for women, their participation in combatant positions has increased.
In the past five years, there has been a sharp rise in women volunteering for combat service.
“The girls here are capable of things that no one sees and these are really meaningful things. People need to see this,” Sergeant Ido Basha, a male Israeli soldier, told Xinhua.
Last summer, the Israel Defense Forces announced the completion of a successful trial of women serving as tank commanders.
Although in case of a war, they will not enter other countries’ territory, they are expected to be incorporated into daily service in the tanks.
There is still a glass ceiling to break for female soldiers in the army though there are high-ranking female officers. In 2011, the first female major general was appointed, but no senior female official was appointed after that.
“If there will be a female chief of staff, it will be me …. just kidding,” Cohen laughed. “I do not know if there will be a female chief of staff, but there will be someone high up there some day.” –XINHUA