The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) made history Dec. 5. For the first time since the founding of the State of Israel, 13 women completed the Tank Corps' training program and were authorized to serve as regular tank crew members in the forces protecting the country's borders. In just a few weeks, they will conduct their first operational deployment and "hold the line," as it is called in military jargon. In other words, they will be included in the round of troops protecting Israel's southern border. At the end of their deployment, the IDF will decide whether the experiment succeeded and if these young women really are capable of the arduousness of service that is demanded inside an Israeli Merkava tank.

The current assessment is that the decision will be positive and the IDF will officially open up the role of tank crew member to female combat troops. Just a few weeks ago, the commander of the IDF's land forces, Major Gen. Kobi Barak, told Al-Monitor, "We must remember that we are not talking about female tank crews that will be fighting in Lebanon or maneuvering with their tanks in hostile territory at a time of war. We are talking about tanks with all-women crews who will be deployed in the defense of Israel's borders with peaceful nations."

Major Gen. Barak intended his remarks to alleviate concerns and respond to the decision's many critics. They claim that deploying women in combat positions of this kind will be damaging to the IDF's operational capacity. It will lower the physical threshold of demands made of young male combat troops, all in the name of equality, and this, in turn, will have a negative impact on the army's fighting strength. Trying to address these concerns, the army claims that the entire move is being studied in order to derive the appropriate conclusions, and that everything is being done in accordance with the recommendations of experts, with various gauges to measure and supervise these efforts throughout the entire process.

The women tank crewmembers who made history received their "tank badge" at a ceremony at the IDF's main memorial to the Tank Corps in Latrun. They join many dozens of women who already serve as fighter pilots, navigators and aircrews, serving in the Israeli air force ever since it first opened its doors to women in these positions, and to the many hundreds of women in infantry units who serve in what the IDF calls "mixed brigades." These are light infantry units tasked with defending the country's borders, particularly with countries that have peace treaties with Israel (Egypt and Jordan).