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Conflict in the Middle East
Original poster

34% of the IDF are women.

55 replies

mids2019 · 30/05/2025 07:51

https://www.idf.il/en/mini-sites/international-cooperation/idf-leads-the-way-in-gender-integration/#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20requiring%20women,jobs%20are%20open%20to%20women.

I think this is sometimes forgotten when talking about the IDF. The small popiualtion of Israel means a significant proportion of its armed forces are women and as such are in danger of being wounded and killed.

I don't think this gender split in the IDF is talked about because it helps people to imagine the IDF consists solely of men when thinking of 'genocide' because women are in general more empathetic and less prone to violence against women and children.

Indeed when reporting of Plestinian casualties a distinction is made between women and men assuming women are non combatants (which in reality they are).

https://www.idf.il/en/mini-sites/international-cooperation/idf-leads-the-way-in-gender-integration#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20requiring%20women,jobs%20are%20open%20to%20women.

OP posts:
ViciousCurrentBun · 30/05/2025 09:38

It’s compulsory so how people feel is irrelevant I would imagine if you refuse your conscription then you may get locked up or punished in some other way
Quite a few countries still have compulsory conscription, around 80 though for most it’s just men. You could argue that if women want to be treated the same then why wouldn’t a country include women.

Women are less prone to be violent, the stats play out. Whilst any conflict has innocents die and there is always an argument about if a conflict is justified when it’s state sanctioned it’s different to an individual deciding to kill.

Original poster
mids2019 · 30/05/2025 09:22

I just think that floods of women wanting to join the IDF suggests the view that women are immensely proud of defending their homeland and people. I just really think that women would not want to join an army not it was committing some sort of hideous genocide.

I think women in general are less prone to violence in general in society (on average).

OP posts:
SeaFloor · 30/05/2025 09:04

The high percentage of women in the IDF is widely-known,OP. Why do you imagine otherwise? Military service is also compulsory for able-bodied Israeli women, unless they’re pregnant or have young children, or Haredi.

greencartbluecart · 30/05/2025 08:50

I have no idea why you think o would say knowing there were women in their army would make me think “this can’t be genocide” - was regressive sexism

whwn women are fed the lie that all Palestinians as subhuman terrorists in the making I would expect women to be more than capable of killing then

what Isreal is doing is wrong and evil and it’s legacy will harm innocent Jews for decades if not centuries

Namechangedformyanswer · 30/05/2025 08:46

They've always needed to involve the whole population including women since they've always been in danger of attacks from the countries around them or various terrorist groups.