Jerusalem – Sona Adeek
Female soldiers in the Israeli army
Jerusalem – Sona Adeek
The website of the Israeli newspaper Maariv said that a group of female soldiers in the Israeli army at a military base was surprised on Friday when the male officer in charge asked them
to waitress for a farewell party that was being thrown for a departing officer.
The celebration was reportedly attended by about 100 officers from the Israeli army at a Kibbutz inside Israel.
Shocked by the request, and knowing they could not refuse a direct order, the female soldiers got into the officers’ cars at 1600 hours (4pm) for the kibbutz, where they started to arrange tables and food for the party-goers.
The newspaper added that after arranging the tables, the soldiers started offering food to the officers, including female soldiers of higher ranks and superiors. When one of the soldiers addressed her superior and told her she felt offended by the act, the superior officer replied: “This will be an experience for you.”
Another soldier while talking to her superior, wondered whether they had entered the army to work as waitresses, and she answered saying: “There’s nothing strange about it.”
The newspaper reported that the party lasted until 1am that morning, after which the female soldiers were made to clean up the venue.
Next morning, the female soldiers were back leading the troops in the training field.
One of the soldiers said: “We didn’t come here to be waitresses for the officers, we came here to be leaders in military vehicles.”
A spokesman of the Israeli army said: “This talk is about a single incident, to say goodbye to one of the officers in the training field and everyone should contribute their share to the party and then equally take from it, including the female officers who served as waitresses.”