Story perspectives

Knesset Pushes Torah Study Law, Finance Warns 16% Tax Rise

7/7/2026

Center

Knesset Advances Law

The Ministry of Finance warned the Basic Law could trigger a 16 % rise in direct taxes by 2065.
The Knesset approved reading of Basic Law: Torah Study by a 63-53 vote and referred it to the House Committee.
Legal adviser Sagit Afik warned the bill could grant Torah students reservist benefits.
Veteran Itzik Saidyan urged the state to prioritize front-line soldiers over the new law.

Right

Saidian Denounces Law

Veteran activist Itzik Saidian, a PTSD survivor, denounced the Basic Law: Torah Study, demanding soldiers receive supreme recognition.
The Knesset debated the coalition-backed Basic Law: Torah Study, which seeks to enshrine Torah learning as a state cornerstone.
Legal adviser Sagit Afik warned bill’s wording might allow Torah students to claim reservist benefits.
An earlier draft equated Torah scholars with IDF soldiers, then removed the clause after criticism.

Blindspot

Center coverage emphasized the Ministry of Finance’s warning that the Basic Law could raise direct taxes by 16 % by 2065, a point not mentioned by the Right.
Center coverage also noted Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon’s concern that the revision would turn the attorney general into a private government lawyer, limiting legal oversight, which the Right omitted.

History

Historical Context

The Knesset began drafting a constitution chapter-by-chapter after the 1950 Harari Decision, passing its first Basic Law on the Knesset in 1958 and adding nine Basic Laws by 1988. Aharon Barak’s 1995 ruling treated those laws as a de facto constitution, enabling judicial review. That precedent underlies today’s 2024 Basic Law: Torah Study, which again reshapes reservist benefits and court oversight.

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Knesset Advances Law

The Ministry of Finance warned the Basic Law could trigger a 16 % rise in direct taxes by 2065.
The Knesset approved reading of Basic Law: Torah Study by a 63-53 vote and referred it to the House Committee.
Legal adviser Sagit Afik warned the bill could grant Torah students reservist benefits.
Veteran Itzik Saidyan urged the state to prioritize front-line soldiers over the new law.

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