|
Trending Topics
|
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/women-increasingly-join-fight-israels-army-054233201.html
Women Increasingly Join the Fight in Israel's Army
(AFP) Michael Blum - Her face covered in mud, Smadar, 18, crawls beneath thorny brush, her automatic rifle around her neck. She smiles despite the intensity of the training, and her commander, also a woman, shouts encouragement. "I don't regret choosing this unit," said Smadar. "I wanted to do my military service in the most combative unit possible." Smadar is part of a growing number of women taking part in combat units within the Israeli military. Four years ago, 3% of enlisted women served in combat units compared to 7% today, and that number is expected to rise to 9.5% in 2017. Even before the State of Israel was created in 1948, women played an important role in the Haganah, the forerunner to the country's military. More than 41% of those currently serving in the IDF are women.