Journalist and commentator Amichai Attali strongly criticized the Basic Law: Torah Study, which passed a preliminary Knesset vote earlier today, calling it an anti-Zionist bill that deepens the Haredi exemption from national burdens. Attali argued that by advancing the legislation, the right-wing coalition traded its principles for Arab party support, abandoning a proposed law to limit noise from mosques.
Amichai Attali, a journalist known for his right-of-center commentary, published a sharp critique of the Basic Law: Torah Study shortly after the bill passed its preliminary Knesset reading on June 10 by a vote of 56–43. Attali argued that the legislation, which equates Torah study with military service in principle, provides a 'bulletproof vest' (shchak"tz) for the Haredi public and has no practical significance other than entrenching the exemption from IDF service and other national burdens. He further claimed that the coalition's push for the bill forced it to rely on the votes of Arab MKs, effectively abandoning a separate bill to limit noise from mosques that had been on the agenda. As The Zioneer reported earlier today, the preliminary vote passed amid sharp opposition from centrist and right-wing opposition leaders including Benny Gantz, Naftali Bennett, and Avigdor Lieberman, who denounced the bill as harmful to national security and social cohesion. Attali's critique reflects a strain of right-wing and religious-Zionist frustration with the legislation, which critics view as prioritizing sectoral interests over shared national responsibility.
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