IDF chief condemns barring of lady officer from leading ceremony at Western Wall
The chief of staff for the IDF has denounced the embarrassing mistake made by those in charge of an army service at the Western Wall:
IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi on Wednesday denounced the barring of a female officer from leading a swearing-in ceremony at the Western Wall last week, calling it a “violation of our values.”Well this certainly represented a failure by the commanders in charge of the ceremony to defend the dignity of a female member. On this, the chief of staff is correct; the commanders should not have even communicated with the Haredi staff running the Western Wall management, who owe a serious apology to the lady herself for the trouble they caused her. This is exactly why the Western Wall management has to be changed wholesale.
In a letter to soldiers, Kohavi said last week’s incident “completely contradicts the spirit of the IDF” and “violates values that the army is based on.”
Kohavi noted equality was central to the core values of the Israel Defense Forces, saying distinctions between men and women “can only be made on a professional and matter-of-fact basis.”
“Women serve in the army, are essential to the army and their service is critical to the IDF,” he said, adding that “they are commanders, they are instructors, they are researchers, they are combat soldiers and they perform many different tasks.”
He stressed that military matters should not be decided by external parties. “It is forbidden for IDF commanders to be influenced by pressure groups or parties outside the chain of command,” he said.
The chief of staff also said he understood both the professional and moral “dilemmas” commanders face, but reminded them that it was their duty to create a “safe, fair and equal” environment for all soldiers.
Labels: haredi corruption, Israel, Jerusalem, military, misogyny, Moonbattery
