Shas chairman Aryeh Deri said Monday that the Knesset's recognition of Torah study as a Basic Law marks a historic chapter in which the state acknowledges the supreme value of the Torah, according to a statement from his office.
Shas chairman Aryeh Deri hailed the Basic Law: Torah Study as a "historic chapter" for the Jewish state Monday evening, hours after the Knesset approved the legislation in its final reading. "Today we wrote a historic chapter in the State of Israel. For the first time, the Jewish state recognizes the supreme value of the holy Torah and the status of its students," Deri said in a statement.
The Knesset passed the Basic Law in a final vote of 63-52 at 21:16 Jerusalem, as The Zioneer reported. Two Likud MKs, Yuli Edelstein and Dan Illouz, broke with the coalition to oppose the bill. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not present for the vote. Earlier, the coalition had defeated all reservations with a narrow majority of exactly 61 votes. The law now becomes part of Israel's constitutional framework.
Deri's statement tonight also took aim at opponents of the law, calling it "a clear answer to the dismissed attorney general and to all who tried to persecute and humiliate yeshiva students." The Shas leader had previously described the first-reading approval on July 1 as a "historic correction," as The Zioneer reported at the time. The Basic Law was a key demand of Haredi coalition parties, and Deri had conditioned coalition support for other legislation on its passage.
The law's passage comes amid a broader coalition push to advance religious legislation, including measures to shield yeshiva students from conscription. With the Basic Law now enshrined, the focus is expected to shift to implementation and potential legal challenges before the High Court of Justice.
5 developments
- DevelopingAryeh Deri hails first-reading passage of Basic Law: Torah Study as 'historic correction'
- StrongShas leader Deri demands Torah Study Basic Law vote as condition for coalition support
- DevelopingKnesset Committee approves Basic Law: Torah Study for final readings; plenum vote next week
- DevelopingMK Moshe Gafni on the Basic Law: Torah Study: 'The State of the Jewish people returns Torah honor to its rightful place'
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