The Knesset approved the Basic Law: Torah Study in its first reading Wednesday evening, passing a quasi-constitutional bill that equates full-time Torah study with military service. The legislation now advances to committee preparation for second and third readings.
The Knesset passed the Basic Law: Torah Study in its first reading Wednesday evening, confirming what coalition sources had signaled days earlier — the quasi-constitutional bill equating full-time Torah study with military service would advance. The vote itself unfolded in stages: by 19:48 Jerusalem, reporters had confirmed Prime Minister Netanyahu had entered the plenum to support the bill, after missing the preliminary reading, and MKs Dan Illouz (Likud) and Yuli Edelstein (National Unity) had voted against it. MK Sharren Haskel (National Unity) was also recorded voting no, alongside Illouz and Edelstein, per N12. The final tally saw the bill pass.
The legislation arrived at Wednesday's vote through a multistage process. As The Zioneer reported on Mon Jun 8, journalist Daphna Liel published a first draft that would grant equal legal rights to Torah learners and IDF servicemembers. A ministerial committee approved the bill on Jun 9, with Haredi coalition sources telling The Zioneer the law was merely declarative without a clause equating legal status. The Knesset Committee approved the bill for its first reading on Tue Jun 30, 15:22 Jerusalem, as The Zioneer reported that afternoon, and Haredi parties pressed Prime Minister Netanyahu to bring it to the plenum that same day. Over the course of Wednesday evening, The Zioneer tracked Netanyahu's arrival, MK dissent, and the final passage, with the coalition-wide support reported on Jun 30 — including from the Religious Zionist party, which echoed the Haredi parties' declarative framing — holding firm enough to overcome three defections.
Background context published by The Zioneer on Wed Jun 10 noted that the proposed Basic Law had drawn criticism from some of Israel's allies abroad, who argued it constitutionally prioritizes Torah scholars above IDF servicemembers — a concern the Haredi and Religious Zionist parties have sought to address by insisting the law is declarative and does not include a clause granting equal legal status. As The Zioneer reported on Jun 8, the initial draft emerged from a single-source report, and the discussion of international criticism was first reported on Jun 10.
The bill now heads to the Knesset committee for preparation for second and third readings. Whether the coalition will bring the bill to those votes before the election recess — as multiple coalition sources indicated it would, per The Zioneer's earlier reporting — remains to be seen.
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