IDF: Women are unable to serve in elite combat groups

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has told the country’s High Court of Justice that including women in Israel’s elite armed forces is not possible due to physiological differences between them and their male counterparts. Two separate analytical studies conducted in recent years found that women run a far greater risk of injury when required to perform tasks that require lifting heavy weights, such as backpacks and large firearms. In its Monday court filing, the IDF indicated that women remained eligible to apply for the 669 positions in Israel’s Special Operations Engineering Unit, better known as the Yahalom Unit. Women in Israeli combat infantry units must weigh no less than 67 kg (147 pounds) and be at least 164 cm (5’4”) tall. Despite these restrictions, the IDF told the court that some 90% of its military positions were fully open to female applicants, with around 20% of combat units in the IDF currently filled by women.