Remarks against women serving in combat roles in the IDF don't make me mad anymore; they don't even make me pity the speaker. It's easy to understand that behind the patriarchal talk is a cry of distress from a group of frightened men.
What threatens them is what should comfort us – no one can reverse the existing situation: We have flanks of female soldiers, officers and pilots who will serve Israel no matter what. Years of fighting for equal opportunities have started to bear sweet fruit. Television studios are full of women. They are leaders in politics, law and academia.
On Wednesday, the last nail was driven into the coffin that will bury the concept that women are arm candy for pilots. The real test is not climbing a rope – muscle mass is not what wins battles today. That's a fact. Wars are won through intelligence, courage and determination. I've never heard of anyone who became a war hero because he cleared a hurdle with the most room to spare. Even alpha males know very well how capable women are of courage and maneuverability. If at home she has them twisted around her little finger, it must certainly scare them if she has officers' insignia.
I served in the IDF for seven years, four as an officer in the Ordnance Corps. I was the only female officer in the battalion. I never requested and was never offered any mitigation or shortcuts. I went on raids in Hebron with the other soldiers; I patrolled the Lebanese border at night; I commanded dozens of soldiers and career military personnel, and I helped dig out an armored personnel carrier that had turned over.
I never asked myself why I was chosen for the position over my male colleagues. It never occurred to me that I was in a role that was inappropriate for a woman. I only thought about the mission before me and my commanders evaluated me based on my professionalism, which seems to be what the people who oppose women in combat are missing.
In the end, the IDF is the sum of all its parts – the entire spectrum of Israeli society, technology, and spirit, women and men. That's the secret of our success. That's the source of its power. Any attempt to remove one block will bring down the entire tower.
So it is good that the prime minister has made it clear that women will continue to serve in key roles – not because anyone is doing us favors, but because without women, the IDF is less strong.
