MK Sharren Haskel announced she will vote against the government's Torah Study Basic Law, making her another coalition member breaking ranks on the controversial legislation. The bill, which would enshrine Torah study as equivalent to national service, has already failed in a previous Knesset vote after Shas and UTJ absented themselves.
MK Sharren Haskel (National Unity) announced Tuesday evening that she will vote against the government-backed Torah Study Basic Law, according to reports. Haskel joins other coalition members — including MKs Yuli Edelstein and Dan Illouz, and the entire National Unity faction led by Benny Gantz — who have opposed or defected on the bill.
As The Zioneer has reported, the Basic Law: Torah Study has been a flashpoint in Israeli politics for weeks. The legislation would equate full-time yeshiva study with military service, effectively codifying the longstanding exemption for Haredi seminary students. In a preliminary vote Tuesday evening, the bill failed in the Knesset plenum after Shas and United Torah Judaism absented themselves, a move that deepened the coalition crisis.
Haskel's announcement signals that the legislation remains highly divisive within the coalition itself. The government's ability to advance the bill now appears increasingly uncertain, with growing defections even as Haredi parties demand passage.
2 developments
- DevelopingEdelstein and Illouz vote against Torah Study Basic Law
- StrongSmotrich opposes ultra-Orthodox Torah-study Basic Law bill
- StrongUnited Torah Judaism joins Shas in blocking coalition legislation unless draft-evader arrests end and Torah study Basic Law passes
- StrongOpposition leaders blast Basic Law on Torah study after preliminary Knesset vote
Source and signal
- Internal intake