The Knesset Committee approved the Basic Law: Torah Study on Thursday evening, clearing the bill for its second and third (final) readings in the plenum next week, according to the Knesset channel. The vote advances the coalition's legislative push ahead of the election recess.
The Knesset Committee on Thursday evening approved the Basic Law: Torah Study for its second and third (final) readings in the plenum next week, according to the Knesset channel. The approval comes after hours of committee deliberation on Thursday; earlier in the evening, a softened version of the bill had cleared the committee, as The Zioneer reported at 19:54 Jerusalem. At that same time, several news outlets — including Ynet, N12 (Amit Segal), and Chat Katavim (Eli Hirschman) — reported the committee's approval, with MK Moshe Gafni (Degel HaTorah) stating the law 'returns Torah study to its proper place' in the Jewish state. The thread of reports on this development was clustered within minutes, indicating a single committee vote broadly corroborated across multiple independent newsrooms.
Earlier this week, the same bill — in a version that would enshrine Torah study at a quasi-constitutional level — advanced through the Knesset. On Tuesday Jun 30, As The Zioneer reported at 15:22 Jerusalem, the Knesset Committee had approved the bill for its first-reading plenum vote, with coalition sources saying it would pass before the election recess. A subsequent article from The Zioneer, published at 14:22 Jerusalem that day, noted opposition protests against the bill, which equates Torah study with military service.
The bill's progress occurs as the coalition races to pass several pieces of legislation ahead of the expected election recess. As The Zioneer reported on Mon Jul 6, the Communications Committee approved a media reform bill for final votes, and the Education Committee approved an expanded gender segregation bill for its final readings — both part of a broader legislative push.
What remains open is the exact timing of the final plenum votes, which are expected 'next week' — no specific day has been set. The softened version's precise final text has not been published in full, and the level of opposition it may face in the plenum remains to be seen.
5 developments
- DevelopingMK Moshe Gafni on the Basic Law: Torah Study: 'The State of the Jewish people returns Torah honor to its rightful place'
- StrongKnesset Committee approves Basic Law: Torah Study; coalition races ahead of election recess
- StrongMK Avichay Buaron: Torah Study Basic Law should have been enshrined long ago
- StrongKnesset Committee approves transfer of Torah Study Basic Law; legal adviser opposes
Source and signal
- Internal intake