Knesset to hold marathon discussions next week to fast-track Basic Law on Torah study

Knesset legal adviser warns lawmakers against accelerated process, as MKs seek to push through legislation before Knesset’s expected dissolution ahead of elections

The Knesset House Committee is scheduled to hold three marathon sessions next week to advance the coalition’s controversial proposed Basic Law to declare Torah study a foundational value of the State of Israel.

The bill is being promoted by the ultra-Orthodox parties to shield draft evaders from sanctions and prosecution. Absent a constitution, Basic Laws in Israel have the highest legal status in the country.

The revised bill drops language from an earlier draft that equated full-time Torah study with military service by describing it as a “significant service” to the state, after widespread criticism, including by some coalition lawmakers, that it effectively placed draft evaders on the same footing as soldiers and reservists.

However, the bill’s underlying purpose remains unchanged. The revised draft states that recognizing Torah study as a foundational value is intended to create “a just balance with respect to other foundational values.” Its explanatory notes, also unchanged, make clear that the legislation’s goal is to address the legal obstacles created by High Court rulings striking down draft exemptions for yeshiva students.

In a letter sent to House Committee members on Thursday, Knesset legal adviser Sagit Afik urged lawmakers to adhere to an “especially high” standard of legislative procedure as they “accelerate” the bill through multiple marathon sessions next week.

She also reiterated her opposition to transferring the bill from the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee to the House Committee, a step taken last week, arguing that bypassing the committee responsible for constitutional legislation creates “defects and harm to the legislative process” that cannot be remedied.

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana has reportedly been asked to pressure Afik to support the passage of the law.

According to a Channel 12 report Thursday evening, Ohana met Wednesday with Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs, who is spearheading the initiative, with the meeting aimed at encouraging Ohana to put pressure on Afik to reverse her opposition.

The legislation is being advanced amid reports of a deal between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox parties to promote some of their legislative agenda in exchange for supporting coalition priorities, though both Shas and United Torah Judaism have denied such an agreement exists.

The coalition has pulled all legislation from its Knesset agenda for two weeks due to a boycott by the Haredi parties, initially prompted by the coalition’s refusal to advance the so-called Daycare Law, to restore daycare subsidies for the children of draft evaders. The boycott has since grown to encompass other Haredi conscription-related demands.

Lawmakers are rushing to pass legislation before the Knesset is expected to enter its pre-election parliamentary recess on July 16.

The legislation represents the latest effort by the Haredi parties to preserve mass draft exemptions for yeshiva students and purported yeshiva students after a coalition-backed enlistment bill promoted by Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth was shelved last month, amid an impasse between the ultra-Orthodox parties and members of Netanyahu’s coalition.

The dispute is rooted in a fierce, yearslong national debate over the blanket exemptions from military service that have long been given to Haredi men. Calls for Haredi conscription have mounted as Israel has fought a multifront war since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre amid a growing manpower shortage. The IDF has repeatedly said it urgently needs 12,000 more recruits; some 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged between 18 and 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service, but have not enlisted.

The Knesset voted 56-43 earlier this month to advance the legislation, with four coalition lawmakers ultimately voting against it: Likud MKs Dan Illouz and Yuli Edelstein, Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel and Religious Zionism MK Moshe Solomon.

Even if the legislation ultimately passes in the Knesset, it is considered highly likely the High Court of Justice would ultimately strike it down, or at least any interpretation of it equating Torah study with military service.