From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Basic Law bill effectively equating Torah study with IDF service sent to Knesset Constitution Committee
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Members of the Knesset House Committee vote unanimously to refer a proposed Basic Law declaring Torah study a foundational value of the State of Israel to the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.
The bill, which was approved in a preliminary reading in the full Knesset plenum last week, would recognize those who dedicate themselves to long-term Torah study as performing “meaningful service” to the state, effectively equating it to army service and conferring upon yeshiva students equal rights to those who serve in the army.
The bill now moves to the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee to be prepared for the first of three votes in the full Knesset plenum needed for it to pass into law.
While the coalition has insisted that language equating Torah study with military service will be removed before the bill’s next reading, members of the opposition have expressed skepticism, accusing the Netanyahu government of seeking to preserve the blanket exemptions from IDF service that have long been given to ultra-Orthodox men.
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