Knesset begins debate on Torah study Basic Law ahead of final vote

By Ariela Karmel

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13 July 2026, 1:16 pm

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Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

A plenum session at the assembly hall of the Knesset in Jerusalem, July 13, 2026 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Knesset plenum begins debating the controversial Basic Law enshrining Torah study as a “foundational value” of the Jewish people and the State of Israel ahead of an expected final vote later today as opponents protest loudly outside the parliament building.

The coalition is expected to approve the quasi-constitutional law later today as part of a final legislative push before the Knesset dissolves on Friday ahead of the October 27 election.

Haredi parties have pushed to pass the law as part of their broader effort to preserve blanket exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox men. While the latest version of the legislation no longer explicitly equates Torah study with military service, it would make Torah study the only value explicitly enshrined in a Basic Law, which opponents argue effectively elevates it above all other national values.

The measure has sparked fierce opposition, including from within the coalition and the broader public, but is still expected to pass.

It is one of several controversial measures the coalition is seeking to pass this week under an agreement between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Haredi parties. This includes legislation to temporarily bar the arrest and prosecution of draft-dodging yeshiva students; bills to curb the powers of the attorney general — one of the few institutional checks on executive power; and legislation establishing a government-appointed commission to investigate the failures surrounding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

According to the Knesset’s weekly agenda, lawmakers are also expected to hold final votes in the coming days on Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s media overhaul bill, a measure to give the government control of the Kan public broadcaster’s budget, legislation repealing the previous government’s kosher certification reform, a bill establishing an official October 7 state memorial framework and legislation expanding gender-segregated study tracks in higher education.