Israel's chief military rabbi states army not for women - report

Israel's chief military rabbi, Avichai Ronski, has said women should not serve in the armed forces, according to the Haaretz newspaper.

"I personally think that... women should not serve in the army," he said at a recent conference attended by dozens of religious women soldiers, according to Haaretz.

He was quoted as saying there is no rabbinic ruling that authorises women to serve in the military.

The newspaper refers to participants in the conference, several of whom it said were furious over the statements.

Rabbi Ronski denies making the comment, Haaretz quoted an army spokesman as saying, and spoke instead of the difficulties facing some women during their military service.

"The IDF (military) chief rabbi told those attending the conference that during his visits to IDF units, he witnessed the difficulties that religious women had in integrating, due to the inability to permit them to serve in accordance with Jewish law," the office said.

Women in Israel serve for two years and men for three, but ultra-Orthodox Jews and most Arabs are exempted from military service.