Who will get to wear a beard under new IDF regs?

Former Military Advocate
General Avichai Mandelblit

The new IDF policy on beards is going to raise some hairy, er, complicated, issues. This article explains that non-religious soldiers argue that the government cannot, consistent with past judicial precedent, limit the new right to soldiers who wear beards for religious reasons.

"We want to put an end to cases in which soldiers received permission to grow beards for religious reasons, but walked around smoking on Saturdays, or drove,” an officer from the Manpower Department told Ynet. Observant Jews do not smoke or drive on the Sabbath, in accordance with Jewish religious law.