A pair of female IDF soldiers, Cpl. Neomy Levy Ashkenazy and Cpl. Sapir Agiv, say they will petition the High Court of Justice if they are not allowed to try out for the elite Duvdevan Unit.
Agiv, a religiously observant woman, was dropped from the Israeli Navy's officers training course and is claiming she is being discriminated against because of her gender, as men who are dropped from naval officers' training are allowed to try out for Duvdevan, a special forces unit that is focused on undercover urban warfare, and if they make the cut, can begin the unit's grueling training course.
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A letter sent by Agiv's attorney, Yinor Bertental, points out that another highly classified IDF unit whose activity is similar to that of Duvdevan accepts women candidates.
"However, inexplicably, service in a nearly identical role in the IDF remains closed to women," the letter states.
In a post on her Facebook page, Agiv wrote, "I still can't get my mind around it – if I was with guys up to this point, if I met the same challenges they did and succeeded I the same physical challenges they did, there is no reason why I shouldn't have the chance to transfer to an elite unit like they do, because I'm a 'girl.'"
Bertental said, "The IDF still hasn't understood that there is no average women, just like there is no average man. The army's mistaken choice to sort and assign personnel based on gender identity groups effectively creates a glass ceiling for women."
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit issued a response to the corporals' demand: "In accordance with a decision by the chief of staff, since June 2020 a team of experts headed by the ground forces commander has been looking into the possibility of integrating women in more combat roles. At this time, female soldiers whose participation in naval officers training was stopped have the possibility of taking on a number of significant roles, including combat roles in which women currently serve."
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