Jul 17, 2026 · 1 hr 23 min · 9 segments
*What’s behind the push to integrate women into combat roles in the IDF?* *Is this debate unique to the IDF, or does it reflect broader issues in Israeli society?* *Does the prohibition…
Ari WassermanHost
David StavGuest
Dovid FendelGuestItai AsmanGuest
To introduce our topic, I want to compare actually contrast two decisions by Supreme Courts.
One was in the U.S., the United States Supreme Court just a few weeks ago, actually maybe even shorter than that, and then a Supreme Court decision by the Israeli Supreme Court a few months ago.
They were talking about different things, but I think there's an important contrast between the two and the approaches to gender, mixed gender issues in society.
Supreme Court of the United States, and it says as follows, the question before the court in these cases is whether under Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, schools may maintain women's and girls' sports teams for biological females, i.e., may schools determine eligibility for free female sports based on biological sex.
Can we say this is for women and men cannot participate in athletics that are for women? Can you do that? Is that allowed? So the court on page 10, and it's a long decision, says as follows, Title IX regulations allowed separate sports teams precisely because of the biological differences between the sexes, namely the the inherent physical differences between biological women and biological men.
I'm going to skip a little bit now, and it says the regulations plainly recognize the inherent physical differences between biological men and biological women, as well as the safety and competitive fairness concerns that would arise if males were allowed to compete in female sports.
And it goes on and on, very interesting, saying there are differences in the genders and all Women certainly can compete in their own athletics and we cannot give men rights to participate.
At least the states can legislate that they can protect women's sports and that men cannot come and compete.
In contrast, in somewhat contrast, the decision by the Israeli court, the Israeli Supreme Court, in April 2026, they had a ruling that dealt with women's access to combat roles in the IDF, including in the tanks, the tanks unit, and also in elite combat units.
It's also a very lengthy decision, technical decision, but based on an abstract, it says as follows.
It says that the court unanimously held under Israeli law that the IDF has a legal obligation to the extent possible to provide equal opportunity to men and women in military assignments, including combat roles.
And the second holding was that the IDF must begin the maneuvering armor pilot.
What does that mean? So the court ordered the IDF to proceed with a pilot program allowing women to serve together in joint units, men and women together in Shiryon, which is the tanks.
And it is beginning with the November 2026 draft cycle rather than postponing it indefinitely.
It's interesting the IDF had approved such a pilot but had repeatedly delayed it during the war.
And now the court is saying it's time to get going a requirement that there be mixed units, women participating in those combat, in that combat units of the tanks.
To introduce our topic, I want to compare actually contrast two decisions by Supreme Courts.
One was in the U.S., the United States Supreme Court just a few weeks ago, actually maybe even shorter than that, and then a Supreme Court decision by the Israeli Supreme Court a few months ago.
They were talking about different things, but I think there's an important contrast between the two and the approaches to gender, mixed gender issues in society.
Supreme Court of the United States, and it says as follows, the question before the court in these cases is whether under Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, schools may maintain women's and girls' sports teams for biological females, i.e., may schools determine eligibility for free female sports based on biological sex.
Can we say this is for women and men cannot participate in athletics that are for women? Can you do that? Is that allowed? So the court on page 10, and it's a long decision, says as follows, Title IX regulations allowed separate sports teams precisely because of the biological differences between the sexes, namely the the inherent physical differences between biological women and biological men.
I'm going to skip a little bit now, and it says the regulations plainly recognize the inherent physical differences between biological men and biological women, as well as the safety and competitive fairness concerns that would arise if males were allowed to compete in female sports.
And it goes on and on, very interesting, saying there are differences in the genders and all Women certainly can compete in their own athletics and we cannot give men rights to participate.
At least the states can legislate that they can protect women's sports and that men cannot come and compete.
In contrast, in somewhat contrast, the decision by the Israeli court, the Israeli Supreme Court, in April 2026, they had a ruling that dealt with women's access to combat roles in the IDF, including in the tanks, the tanks unit, and also in elite combat units.
It's also a very lengthy decision, technical decision, but based on an abstract, it says as follows.
It says that the court unanimously held under Israeli law that the IDF has a legal obligation to the extent possible to provide equal opportunity to men and women in military assignments, including combat roles.
And the second holding was that the IDF must begin the maneuvering armor pilot.
What does that mean? So the court ordered the IDF to proceed with a pilot program allowing women to serve together in joint units, men and women together in Shiryon, which is the tanks.
And it is beginning with the November 2026 draft cycle rather than postponing it indefinitely.
It's interesting the IDF had approved such a pilot but had repeatedly delayed it during the war.
And now the court is saying it's time to get going a requirement that there be mixed units, women participating in those combat, in that combat units of the tanks.
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