IDF Officers' School Sign Controversy: Gender Policy Clarified

A sign reading "No entry for women" was posted at the entrance to the Gefen Battalion quarters at Israel's Officers' School (known as Bahad 1), according to documentation obtained by Israeli media outlet Srugim. The sign appeared amid ongoing controversy over gender segregation policies in the military.

The Gefen Battalion serves as the advanced infantry training component of the officers' course, specifically for infantry brigades such as the Paratroopers and Golani, units that do not include female combat soldiers, unlike mixed-gender units such as the Caracal Battalion.

In recent weeks, the Officers' School has hosted officer cadets from the Hasmonean Brigade, a haredi (ultra-Orthodox) unit also known as Netzah Yehuda, who came to complete their integrated combat training series while conducting the remainder of their course at a separate base. Some personnel at the facility believed the sign had been posted specifically for the haredi cadets to prevent any interaction between the religious soldiers and female personnel.

However, the Israeli military clarified that the sign was not a new policy accommodation for religious soldiers, but rather a standard notice that was poorly executed.

According to the IDF's explanation to Srugim, the sign was not posted at the entrance to the battalion's general area, but specifically at the entrance to the cadets' sleeping quarters. The wording was incorrect, it should have indicated that female soldiers are prohibited from entering male soldiers' living quarters, in accordance with standard military regulations on shared service. The proper wording, according to the IDF's co-service regulations, should have read: "Male soldiers' quarters, entry forbidden to female soldiers."