From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Opposition MKs protest Knesset debate on bill to expand gender segregation in academia
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela 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.
Opposition lawmakers stage a mock gender segregation protest in the Knesset Education Committee as it debates a coalition-backed amendment to the Student Rights Law to increase gender-segregated academic tracks in mixed universities and colleges.
The amendment originally sought to allow mixed institutions to offer gender-segregated master’s and doctoral programs for religious students, with segregation limited to classrooms, and participation voluntary. Supporters have argued that it would make higher education more accessible to religious women who would otherwise be unwilling to pursue advanced degrees.
Committee deliberations have since expanded the measure to undergraduate programs, and beyond classrooms to other areas of campus.
In protest, female opposition MKs Naama Lazimi of The Democrats and Yesh Atid lawmakers Adi Ezuz and Yasmin Fridman place “Men” and “Women” signs around the committee room.
“If you’re going to segregate academia, why not segregate the Knesset?” the lawmakers argue, sarcastically calling for the committee itself to be segregated.
"מלידה ועד תארים מתקדמים יש פה תפיסה כוללת שנשים זה דבר טמא" – ח"כ נעמה לזימי מותחת ביקורת על הצ"ח לקיום מסלולים נפרדים באקדמיה, ח"כ לימור סון הר מלך מגיבה: "את שונאת נשים דתיות"
????️מתוך הדיון בוועדת החינוך בנושא מסלולי לימוד נפרדים בתארים מתקדמים@naamalazimi @limor_sonhrmelh… https://t.co/XxhODWjaNq pic.twitter.com/8fKVJLdCsr
— ערוץ כנסת 99 (@KnessetT) July 1, 2026
Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech, one of the bill’s chief backers, accuses Lazimi — an observant Jew who comes from a Masorti background — of “hating religious women.”
Lazimi rejects the claims and attempts to respond, but acting committee chair Shas MK Yossi Taieb ejects her from the meeting.
Following the incident, Lazimi says supporters of the bill seek to create “a reality in which a woman is born believing she is impure and should not be seen in public spaces, even in higher education, while a man grows up viewing women as something forbidden, that must be kept away from the moment he enters the world until he earns a doctorate. This is not normal.”
The legislation has drawn fierce opposition from lawmakers and legal officials. Opposition MKs have warned it could lead to broader gender segregation, asking, “What’s next? Separate sidewalks?” They submitted 1,181 reservations to the bill, which the committee is still working through, while Justice Ministry representatives argue the proposal infringes upon the principle of equality and serves “no legitimate purpose.”
The Times of Israel Community.