Forum Dvorah, an NGO that works towards the inclusion of women in Israeli society, denounced the decision by hesder yeshivot to boycott the IDF's Armored Corps in a statement on Tuesday.
"The IDF must not give in to threats of refusal and exclusion of women," the NGO said.
"Giving in to these extreme demands means creating an army with segregation."
The demands that the NGO was referring to were statements issued by a total of 25 hesder yeshivot, which combine Torah study with serving in the IDF - banning their Orthodox religious-Zionist male students from joining the Armored Corps in protest at an IDF pilot program to integrate women into the corps.
According to the IDF, the program is only a pilot, and it is unclear whether it will lead to the permanent placement of women in the tank corps.
Further, the pilot program involves establishing women-only tank units, such that neither secular nor religious men would be serving with women within the same tank or unit, the primary concern of the religious-Zionist institutions that are protesting.
"This is an attempt to impose a haredi service model on the entire religious public based on the exclusion of women and sectoral dictates," the forum said.
"It is particularly worrying to see similarities to the pressure methods used by haredi leadership, which has been waging a struggle for years to evade military service."
"This is a violation of equality, the values of the IDF, and the principles established in court rulings," it continued.
Female soldiers greatly contribute to IDF operations, Forum Dvorah argues
"This is also a serious security violation in times of war and at a time when the IDF is suffering from a shortage of manpower. It is impossible to give up on female combat soldiers who have already proven their ability to contribute to operations," the NGO said.
"Today, more than 20% of the IDF's combat soldiers are women, and their exclusion would directly harm the military's ability to win," it added.
"Women are not a problem that must be pushed aside, excluded, or trampled on in order to please one sector or another. The IDF must stand up to threats of refusal, maintain its values, and serve the entire State of Israel," the forum concluded.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.