Jerusalem – Israel To Begin Enlisting HIV-Positive Soldiers

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    FILE - Israeli soldiers evacuate their comrade playing the role of a wounded person during an exercise, near Kibbutz Zikim, close to the border with northern Gaza November 20, 2015.REUTERSJerusalem – The Israeli military said Tuesday it will begin enlisting soldiers who are HIV-positive, in a policy shift putting the country at the forefront of military inclusivity toward people with the virus that causes AIDS.

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    Military service in Israel is compulsory for Jews, but until now people with HIV were automatically deemed unfit to serve for medical reasons.

    Col. Moshe Pinkert, the head of the military’s medical services department, said that policy will change, allowing people who are HIV-positive to enlist and serve in a variety of positions, except combat, so long as they meet a series of health-related criteria. The policy is set to go into effect in the coming weeks.

    Pinkert said the change came about as a result of shifts in HIV epidemiology, with better treatments available. He said only a handful of soldiers a year would be affected by the policy change, but that it was a “very important step…for the acceptance of people with HIV into society and reducing the social stigma.”

    He said Israel was a “pioneer” in making the change.

    The military’s previous policy prevented people with HIV from enlisting because of concerns that their health could deteriorate, that side effects of the treatments would affect their ability to function or that they could put their peers at risk of infection. Over the last decade, those insisting on enlisting were examined on a case by case basis and sometimes allowed to volunteer.

    Pinkert said HIV-positive soldiers could serve in many positions except for those where they might be at risk of bleeding.

    The U.S. military does not allow people who are HIV-positive to enlist. If a soldier contracts HIV while in service, he must undergo medical evaluations to determine whether he is fit to continue serving.

    Gays serve openly in Israel’s military, as does at least one openly transgender soldier, and the military has said it wants to offer transgender soldiers more support in their enlistment process.


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    8 years ago

    Is it no wonder that the mashiach is right at our door, but when he opens it a drop to see what’s going on, he turns around and hopes for better the next time around.

    enlightened-yid
    enlightened-yid
    8 years ago

    HIV is not a gay disease so why does the last paragraph mention gays in the military when the issue is about allowing HIV positive people to serve? Majority of HIV carriers on the planet are heterosexuals and children whose mothers infect them through birth. HIV positive people who take their medications do not pose infection risks as the virus is suppressed to undetectable levels. HIV positive people can now live a longer lives with less complications than people with heart disease, diabetes or hepatitis. 30 years ago HIV was a mystery disease that lead to rapid progression into deadly AIDS. Through aggressive global research, HIV is now a controllable virus, so the scaremongering and stigma needs to end by educating the public and funding access to medications to those that are infected.

    8 years ago

    IN other words the DRAFT DODGING ultra orthodox segment of Israel is creating a man shortage in the IDF requiring HIV infected boys to be drafted in place of them.. Hashem Yerachaim.