Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz on Sunday decided to abolish the position of the army's adviser on women's affairs, in an effort to downsize personnel and cut costs.

The position will be merged with that of the head of the staff administration.

The IDF spokesperson said in response that "the position of the IDF chief of staff's adviser on women's affairs has not been canceled. The officer who is set to be appointed will now fill both roles ? the IDF chief of staff's adviser on women's affairs and the head of the staff department."

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The decision comes as Halutz's current adviser, Brigadier-General Dvorah Hasid, prepares to retire, ending her three-year tenure.

Rina Bar-Tal, a feminist lobbyist called the decision to merge the two positions "a fatal blow to the progress the IDF is making to advance women and protect their rights."

According to Bar-Tal, the position is a daily reminder of the commitment of the IDF and Halutz toward the women who serve in the army.

She called the adviser's independence a basic condition in the IDF's ongoing struggle to curb offenses and injustices against women, as well as to fight the chauvinistic norms ingrained in the army and against the long-standing tradition of discrimination and exclusion.

Bar-Tal added that though the law requires every position in the army to be potentially open to women, only two-thirds of all positions are actually filled by women and most infantry, engineering and artillery units are still closed to them.

Halutz's predecessor, Moshe Ya'alon, had decided to cut the position but backed down after a wave of protests by women's organizations and MKs who warned that the move would harm equality in the army and block further progress on the matter.