Full Breakdown
Knesset Expands Gender-Segregated Programs for Master’s and Doctoral Degrees
7/21/2026, 10:00:02 PM
Core Event
In early July 2026 the Israeli Knesset approved an amendment to the Student Rights Law that allows universities and colleges to offer gender-segregated master’s and doctoral degree programs, subject to approval by the Council for Higher Education (CHE). The vote was 52-43. The amendment, sponsored by Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech, expands a framework previously limited to undergraduate programs for ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) students.
Background & Context
The 2021 Israeli Supreme Court upheld a CHE policy that permitted limited gender-segregated undergraduate classes for Haredi students, imposing safeguards such as restricting segregation to classrooms and prohibiting discrimination against female lecturers. The new legislation removes the undergraduate-only restriction, extends segregation to advanced-degree programs, and makes the option available to all students, not solely Haredi. The change was part of a broader legislative package passed during the Knesset’s final session before its dissolution ahead of the October elections, which also included measures affecting the attorney general’s role and media regulation.
Data & Statistics
- Resignations: Five CHE members stepped down: Professors Marcelle Machluf (Technion), Jihad El-Sana (Ben Gurion University of the Negev), Lia Laor (Levinsky-Wingate Academic College), Edit Tshuva (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), and Moshe Vigdor (former CHE director-general).
- Council composition: The CHE is required to have between 19 and 25 members; the resignations reduced the body to its minimum of 19.
- Legislative vote: The amendment passed 52-43.
- Petition: Six Haredi women and ten academics filed a petition with the High Court of Justice seeking to strike down or narrowly interpret the law.
Official Statements & Responses
- Committee chair Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionism) described the change as expanding “freedom of choice” for religious students.
- University leadership: Presidents of Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University, Bar-Ilan University and the Technion issued letters opposing the law. Tel Aviv University President Ariel Porat warned that budget constraints could force institutions to apply segregation broadly, affecting non-Orthodox students. Bar-Ilan University emphasized that segregation in advanced research undermines equality, research quality, and teaching freedom.
Criticism & Opposition
Academic bodies and opposition lawmakers contend that extending gender segregation to graduate studies prioritizes religious customs over the rights of female students and faculty to equal treatment, dignity and freedom of movement. They argue the measure jeopardizes Israel’s international academic reputation and could diminish the quality of research and teaching. The resignations themselves signal a protest against what the members view as a breach of the CHE’s statutory independence.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources uniformly describe the law’s provisions and the resignations; no substantive numerical discrepancies were identified. However, the precise mechanisms by which universities will implement segregation in graduate programs remain undefined, and the High Court’s pending decision on the petition has not yet been reported.
What’s Next
The petition filed by Haredi women and academics is expected to be heard by the High Court of Justice, which may issue an interpretation or injunction affecting the law’s application. The outcome will determine whether the expanded segregation framework will be operationalized across Israeli higher-education institutions.
