JERUSALEM (VINnews) IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir met on Tuesday with prominent rabbis from the Religious Zionist community in an effort to resolve the dispute surrounding the enlistment of students from hesder yeshivot in the armored corps, according to a Walla news report.

The meeting took place amid controversy over the integration of women into combat roles, with Zamir emphasizing that the military faces a manpower shortage and needs every available soldier, male and female.

The meeting was attended by several senior officers, including Deputy Chief of Staff Tamir Yadai, Head of the Ground Forces Command Nadav Lotan, and Chief Military  Rabbi Eyal Karim. Zamir opened the discussion by expressing appreciation for the yeshivot and pre-military academies, praising “The decisive contribution and tremendous sacrifice of yeshiva students over the years, and especially during the war, as they stand alongside other populations in the front ranks of the fighters of the people’s army.”

He then outlined the military’s growing personnel needs in light of current challenges and warned: “The IDF is still short thousands of combat soldiers and needs every male and female combatant to fulfill its missions and consolidate the achievements of the campaign.”

The central focus of the meeting was the Joint Service Ordinance (which regulates the service of females as well as the needs of orthodox soldiers)

Zamir stressed that the policy is a cornerstone that:”Allows service side by side, not one at the expense of the other, while preserving the dignity of all who serve.”

According to him, expanding the integration of women into combat positions has: “Enormous operational importance, and the IDF will continue working to expand it.”

At the same time, he pledged that any expansion would be carried out: “According to operational needs and professional standards, without compromise.”

The rabbis praised the military’s leadership during the war and reaffirmed their commitment to encouraging meaningful military service. However, they also raised concerns regarding the challenges faced by observant soldiers and demanded assurances that every soldier “will be able to serve in the IDF in accordance with his religious beliefs and values, and in line with the principles of the Joint Service Ordinance.”

Zamir concluded the meeting by stating: “The State of Israel has one army, the people’s army, which must know how to accommodate all existing complexities and enable meaningful and productive service for every segment of the nation. The readiness of the military requires us to meet this challenge successfully.”

The meeting took place about two weeks after the hesder yeshivot announced a suspension of student enlistments in the armored corps in protest against the military’s conduct on the issue.

The move followed a pilot program involving the integration of women into the Armored Corps and claims that Israel’s Supreme Court was influencing the matter. Rabbi Tamir Granot, head of the Orot Shaul Yeshiva, publicly argued that judicial pressure was being used and that it could harm the character of the military.

For their part, the IDF has maintained that the initiative is only a preliminary pilot program and has stated that: “Among all the options being examined, there is no scenario in which men and women would serve together within the same combat framework.”