Haredi parties are reportedly inclined to accept Prime Minister Netanyahu's proposal for the Basic Law: Torah Study, which is described as 'toothless' (declarative). The shift comes amid ongoing coalition negotiations over the controversial legislation.
As of Thursday evening, Haredi parties are reportedly inclined to accept Prime Minister Netanyahu's proposal for the Basic Law: Torah Study in its declarative, 'toothless' form, according to the latest reports. The development follows a day of rapid-fire negotiations in which the Haredi factions agreed to strip the bill of its substantive clauses, reducing it to a single declarative sentence. The Knesset Committee was scheduled to reconvene at 5:00 PM Thursday to vote on the amended text, though the outcome of that vote was not immediately clear as of this report.
The thread of reports from Thursday morning showed a cascade of concessions. At 10:28 Jerusalem, multiple outlets reported that the Haredi parties had folded and accepted a purely declarative version (version 9). Shortly thereafter, journalist Amit Segal (N12) published the exact wording: 'Torah study is a fundamental value in the heritage of the Jewish people and in the State of Israel' (version 10). Within minutes, reports from N12 and Yediot Ahronot confirmed that the second clause—which had recognized Torah study as a fundamental value—was deleted at the prime minister's request (versions 11–14). Degel HaTorah and Shas issued a joint statement accepting the remaining section as 'the heart of the law' (version 13). The Knesset Committee then announced it would reconvene at 5:00 PM to vote (version 15). The evolution of reporting showed a single channel (N12) initially breaking the story, quickly corroborated by multiple newsrooms and confirmed by an official Haredi statement.
As The Zioneer reported on Tuesday, June 9, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved the Basic Law, with Haredi sources noting it remained declarative without an equal-status clause. On June 30, the Knesset Committee approved the bill for first reading amid opposition protests, and on July 1, Haredi parties pressed Netanyahu to bring it to a plenum vote. The Religious Zionist party has signaled it will support the final version, despite earlier concerns about elevating Torah study above military service.
It remains unclear whether the 5:00 PM Knesset Committee vote has taken place and what its result was. The plenum vote has not yet been scheduled, and it is uncertain whether the Haredi parties' reported inclination will hold through the final legislative stages. The full text of the bill as passed by the committee has not yet been published.
13 developments
- StrongHaredi parties press Netanyahu to bring Torah Study vote to Knesset plenum today
- StrongMinisterial committee approves Basic Law: Torah Study; Haredi parties call it merely declarative without equal-status clause
- StrongNetanyahu and Haredi parties set to advance coalition deal despite protests
- DevelopingMK Milbitsky welcomes Haredi retreat on Torah Study Basic Law: 'Excellent' — law to remain declarative
Source and signal
- Internal intake