Coalition Chairman Ofir Katz has reached an agreement with the Haredi parties on the Torah Study Basic Law, under which Section 2, which established a balance between values, will be deleted from the bill, according to N12.
On Thursday, Coalition Chairman Ofir Katz reached an agreement with the Haredi parties to delete Section 2 from the Torah Study Basic Law, according to a report by N12. The agreement removes the operative section that had established a balance between the value of Torah study and other societal values, including military service. The development follows days of intensive negotiations, with Haredi parties signaling openness to the proposal as early as Tuesday evening.
The Zioneer reported on Tuesday, Jul 7, at 20:43 Jerusalem, that Haredi parties had initially rejected a declarative-only version of the bill. Later that evening, Prime Minister Netanyahu proposed a declarative-only version, which Degel HaTorah rejected while Shas deliberated. By the same hour, a party source told N12 that Haredi parties were leaning toward accepting the proposal to drop Section 2, aiming to keep the law 'clean for Torah learners.' The thread shows a rapid shift from rejection to conditional acceptance over the course of Tuesday evening, all sourced to N12.
As The Zioneer has previously reported, the bill has been a contentious issue within the coalition. On Jul 8, Katz warned that Likud might submit reservations to the bill's wording. The Knesset Committee approved the bill on Jun 30, and it passed a preliminary reading. Netanyahu met with Haredi leaders on Jun 8 to secure support, and coalition leaders agreed on Jun 16 to advance the bill along with a freeze on arrests of draft-dodging yeshiva students. The bill was passed in a preliminary vote on Jul 1, with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz voting in favor.
The exact final wording of the bill has not been published. It remains unclear whether Religious Zionism and other coalition partners will support the agreement. The deletion of Section 2 is expected to make the bill more declarative, avoiding a direct comparison between Torah study and military service. The bill must still pass second and third readings in the Knesset.
7 developments
- DevelopingDegel HaTorah Opposes Changes to Torah Study Basic Law, Warns Coalition Legislation May Be Blocked
- DevelopingShas and Degel HaTorah deny any deal with Prime Minister Netanyahu
- DevelopingShas and Degel HaTorah Torah Study Basic Law bills diverge in Knesset vote schedule
- StrongMinisterial committee approves Basic Law: Torah Study; Haredi parties call it merely declarative without equal-status clause
Source and signal
- Internal intake