Zamir: No Mixed Tanks, No Apologies

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir responded publicly for the first time Thursday to the growing dispute with senior Religious Zionist rabbis and yeshiva heads who have called on students not to enlist in the Armored Corps because of the integration of female soldiers into tank units.

Speaking to IDF civilian employees, Zamir addressed the issue directly and sought to calm concerns in the Hesder yeshiva and pre-military academy world over mixed service in combat units.

“The IDF is the army of the people,” Zamir said. “Because of that, I see supreme importance in integrating all parts of the population into its ranks, especially in combat and combat-support roles.”

His remarks came after a group of leading rabbis and Hesder yeshiva heads announced that they would stop sending students to the Armored Corps beginning with the next draft cycle. The rabbis said the decision to integrate female tank fighters into maneuvering armored units creates halachic and practical problems, particularly because of the close quarters inside tanks and armored vehicles.

Zamir said the army understands the sensitivities involved and will work to preserve the necessary balance between different groups serving in the IDF.

“This complex integration will always be carried out in a way that allows one public to serve alongside the other, and not at the expense of the other,” he said.

The comment appeared aimed at reassuring religious soldiers and their rabbis that the IDF does not intend to force a service framework that violates their religious way of life.

“I say here clearly: I understand very well, and the IDF understands very well, the sensitivities and the balances required,” Zamir added. “I have no doubt that we will know how to overcome this challenge as well, because we have no other alternative. We are all together, carrying a mission above all others: ensuring the security and future of the State of Israel.”

The dispute has become one of the sharpest clashes in recent years between the IDF leadership and parts of the Religious Zionist Torah world. Some rabbis argue that the army is pushing religious soldiers out of key combat tracks by prioritizing mixed service over halachic needs.

Zamir also used the speech to emphasize the broader mission of IDF personnel during wartime, quoting the words of Yehoshua bin Nun and Calev ben Yefuneh: “The land is very, very good.”

He told the workers that their daily efforts help build the tools that allow the Jewish people to continue living securely in its land.