In November 2000, a few dozen civilians and high-ranking army officers met in Jerusalem for the first symposium of The Army and Society Forum - a joint project of the Israel Defense Forces and The Israel Democracy Institute. The aim of this forum is to deliberate on central issues, to voice a variety of opinions and to indicate directions for action that could be taken. This volume includes an abstract of the first issue to be considered at the forum - Women in the IDF - as well as the words of the participants.
" . . . exclusion of women from certain military professions due to planning considerations does not, in the long run, result in the anticipated gain; both the military and society are the poorer for it. . . . the exclusion of female soldiers harms and humiliates them, and puts them at a disadvantage vis-à-vis their male peers. In my opinion in the Alice Miller case, I said that this humiliating phenomenon must be abolished. It used to be common to quip: “The good guys are pilots, the good girls are for the pilots.” What we need is: “The good guys are pilots and the good girls are pilots,” each case according to the individual soldier’s abilities.
Supreme Court Justice Dalia Dorner
". . . with the achievements we have seen so far - the appointment of female instructors in field units, which began a few years ago; the 1993 Supreme Court decision in the case of Alice Miller; and the amendment in 2000 to the Defense Service Law, which opened field and combat unit positions to women - the status of women in the IDF will rise, thus realizing the value of true equal opportunity and partnership.
Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz, former Chief of Staff
"As CO of the Women’s Corps, I can tell you that women are not necessarily in need of additional protection. Treating women as weak, fragile beings who require delicate handling is not appropriate to the current zeitgeist, nor to women’s strength or ability.
Brigadier General Suzy Yogev, CO of the Women's Corps
" It is an enormous mistake to place women in combat units. . . . The appropriate solution is quality service. I would reduce the number of female office workers in the army significantly and balance the number of males and females in these jobs. There is no reason men should not serve as office workers and women in communications, intelligence, research, and the like.
General Ya'acov Amidror
" . . . if the purpose of this discussion is to approach the subject of women in the army at the root level, then . . . the key question is, are we able to imagine an army headed by a female chief of staff.
Dr. Henriette Dahan-Kalev