According to a report by Shachar Glik, the coalition intends to move the Torah Study Basic Law from the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee to the Knesset Committee, at the request of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Religious Zionism is reportedly trying to avoid direct involvement with the bill. The Knesset's legal adviser has already objected to the committee switch and is expected to object again; the coalition plans to proceed regardless, the report says.
Coalition lawmakers are planning to transfer the controversial Torah Study Basic Law from the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee to the Knesset Committee, at the request of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, according to reporter Shachar Glik. The move is intended to sideline the legislation from the Constitution Committee, which is seen as more deeply deliberative and where the legal adviser's objections carry particular weight. Religious Zionism, Smotrich's own faction, is trying to keep its distance from the bill, despite initial interest in controlling it, the report says.
The Knesset's legal adviser has already objected to the procedural switch and is expected to object again, but coalition sources say the move will proceed regardless.
As The Zioneer reported earlier this month, the Torah Study Basic Law has been a flashpoint in coalition politics, with Haredi parties calling it declarative without a clause equating Torah study with IDF service, and with secular and reservist groups opposing it sharply. The current maneuver reflects ongoing coalition efforts to advance the legislation before the Knesset disperses, amid unresolved tensions over the bill's wording and the handling of military service exemptions.
2 developments
- DevelopingChanges to Torah Study Basic Law being negotiated after preliminary vote
- DevelopingKnesset committee advances Basic Law equating Torah study with IDF service
- DevelopingShas and Degel HaTorah Torah Study Basic Law bills diverge in Knesset vote schedule
- StrongOpposition leaders blast Basic Law on Torah study after preliminary Knesset vote
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