Full Breakdown
Knesset Advances Basic Law Declaring Torah Study a State Value
6/10/2026, 8:57:20 PM
Preliminary Passage of the Torah-Study Basic Law
On 12 April 2026 the Knesset approved a Basic Law proposal (56-43) that would enshrine Torah study as a “fundamental value” and recognize long-term study as “significant service to the State.” Sponsored by UTJ MK Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher, it now moves to the House Committee and requires three more readings.
Draft-Exemption Debate
An informal “status-quo” arrangement granted Haredi yeshiva students exemption from service. In 2024 the High Court declared the blanket exemption unconstitutional, amid an IDF manpower crisis following the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
Main Actors
Proponents: UTJ MK Moshe Gafni, Yaakov Asher, Shas leader Arye Deri. Dissenters: Likud MK Dan Illouz, Yuli Edelstein; New Hope MK Sharren Haskel; Religious Zionist MK Moshe Solomon. Opposition: Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Liberman. Arab parties abstained under a reported UTJ deal.
Vote Summary
The vote was 56-43; four coalition MKs opposed, ten Arab MKs absent; 80,000 Haredi men remain exempt.
Government and Institutional Reactions
Minister Ze’ev Elkin said support hinges on removing language equating Torah scholars with soldiers. Shas leader Arye Deri called the vote a condition for coalition support. IDF Chief Eyal Zamir warned the army could “collapse” without a draft solution. The Movement for Quality Government called the bill a “counterweight to Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty.”
Dissenting Views
Yair Lapid called the law “a finance-evasion measure, not about Torah.” Naftali Bennett called it “exemption law on steroids.” Gadi Eisenkot warned it trades weeks in power for a Basic Law. Avigdor Liberman decried a “unholy alliance” enabling the vote.
Selected Statements
- “This is a declaration of holy war against those who blaspheme God, persecute the Torah and oppose those who study it.” — Yisrael Eichler, UTJ MK
- “Opponents of the bill are antisemitic enemies of the Torah and its students.” — Meir Porush, UTJ MK
- “Torah study was what sustained the Jewish people for thousands of years; it is a fundamental value.” — Moshe Gafni, UTJ MK
- “What does this law have to do with Torah study? It is a law to finance evasion.” — Yair Lapid, Yesh Atid leader
Unresolved Issues
Early drafts equated Torah study with military service; later reports say the clause was removed, yet analysts say the law still “effectively equates” the two. Arab MKs’ absence is described both as a deal and as a temporary abstention; the final text remains unpublished.
Future Steps
The bill proceeds to the House Committee for amendment, then a second reading and three further readings before the October 20 elections, which the coalition seeks to delay for additional legislative gains.
