Israel’s High Court ruled last week that the Israel Defense Forces must grant equal opportunity to women and men in all combat roles.
In an opinion piece published on the website of Channel 12 News, Penina Sharvit Baruch, the chair of Hadassah Foundation grant recipient Forum Dvorah, called the ruling “an important milestone.” Forum Dvorah filed an amicus curia (friend of court) brief in the case and is Israel’s leading champion for women’s equality in the military and national security. The only organization in Israel focusing on gender equality in key decision-making positions in national security and foreign policy, Forum Dvorah manages a network of over 200 leading women in Israel in these fields and supports the next generation of leadership among young women.
Learn more about the ruling in this Jerusalem Post article. Read Sharvit’s full piece in Hebrew here, and in English translation (provided by Forum Dvorah) below:
The Supreme Court ruling published [on April 13] marks an important milestone in the integration of women into combat roles in the IDF. While it does not mandate the immediate opening of all positions, the Court makes it unequivocally clear that the normative starting point is equality: the default is that roles should be open to women, and the burden rests on the IDF to demonstrate why there is a substantive justification for deviating from this principle.
However, the significance of the ruling extends beyond the principled affirmation of equality. It sets a binding standard for how this principle must be implemented in practice. The Court accepts the possibility of progressing through phased trials, but emphasizes that such trials cannot be merely formal or conducted as a means of “checking a box.” They must be genuine, carefully designed to allow a real chance of success, and serve as a tool for learning and expansion rather than as a mechanism for delay. In this context, the emphasis on conducting trials in a way that maximizes their likelihood of success, rather than in a symbolic manner, has clear practical implications for how policy implementation will be assessed going forward.
Moreover, the ruling clarifies that indirect barriers cannot be created through professional or structural criteria, and that the actual outcome must be examined: whether women are given a genuine opportunity to compete and succeed. It also underscores the need for tangible progress, rather than prolonged delay, and calls for a role-by-role assessment instead of maintaining positions as closed by default.
Importantly, the discussion does not remain confined to the normative level. The ruling reflects recognition that the integration of women is not only a matter of equal rights, but also of a clear security interest. The IDF is required to make optimal use of all available human resources, including women who seek and are capable of serving in combat roles. Foregoing this pool from the outset undermines the ability to fully leverage human capital and to address Israel’s complex security challenges. In this sense, equality and security are not in tension, but rather operate together and reinforce one another.
Beyond its immediate implications, the ruling also carries long-term significance. Restricting access to combat roles directly affects career advancement pathways within the IDF and the ability of women to reach positions of command and influence. Opening these roles is not merely an expansion of service opportunities, but a prerequisite for the future integration of women into senior ranks and decision-making forums in the security sphere. In this respect, the integration of women contributes not only to fairness within the system but also to the quality of decision-making, as reflected in comparative research and international experience presented during the proceedings by counsel for the petitioners, as well as in the submission filed by the Dvora Forum as an amicus curiae.
The ruling, therefore, is not merely a specific legal decision, but a systemic determination: the IDF may proceed in a gradual manner, but it is required to do so in good faith, effectively, and with a genuine commitment to realizing the full potential of all those who serve. In doing so, it signals a shift from formal oversight to substantive oversight – a change that may influence not only the integration of women in the IDF, but also how similar policies will be evaluated in public and security institutions in the future.