Coalition pushes ahead with Oct. 7 political probe, Torah study Basic Law, AG bills in contentious pre-election blitz

A raft of contentious coalition-backed bills is set to advance today in the Knesset as the government seeks to push through as much legislation as possible before the parliament’s expected dissolution on July 17, at which point most legislative activity is expected to halt ahead of elections, set to be held by October 27.

The plenum is expected to hold the first of three readings today on legislation establishing a highly polarizing, politically appointed probe into the failures surrounding Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, which would grant the power to unilaterally appoint the commission to the same government that was in power when the attacks took place.

The bill is being advanced in lieu of a state commission of inquiry, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to form because its members would be selected by the judiciary, which he claims is biased against him, despite overwhelming public support for such a commission.

The third and final reading of a bill sponsored by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party expanding gender segregation in academia is also expected to be held today.

The initial bill proposed permitting mixed institutions to offer gender-segregated master’s and doctoral programs for religious students on a voluntary basis, but it has since been broadened to apply to undergraduate degrees and to permit segregation beyond classrooms to other areas of campus, as well.

Marathon deliberations are also continuing in committees today on several measures promoted by the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism and Shas parties, including a controversial proposed Basic Law on Torah study to shield Haredi draft dodgers from sanctions and parallel legislation freezing their arrests, as well as legislation repealing the previous government’s kashrut reform.

Committees are also deliberating several coalition priorities, including Communication Minister Shlomo Karhi’s broadcast media overhaul, which critics say is intended to concentrate more power over broadcast media in government, and a pair of bills curbing the powers of the attorney general — one of the sole checks on executive power.

The legislative blitz follows a reported agreement between Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox parties ending their boycott of coalition legislation last month. Under the deal, the coalition agreed to advance key Haredi priorities — including legislation aimed at preserving exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men from military service and related measures — in exchange for their support for the coalition’s own legislative agenda.