Report: Ohana asked to pressure Knesset legal adviser to back Basic Law on Torah study

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana has been asked to pressure Knesset legal adviser Sagit Afik to support the process to pass a Basic Law to declare Torah study a foundational value of the State of Israel, effectively granting ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students immunity from arrest for draft evasion.

According to the report, Ohana met yesterday with Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs, who is spearheading the initiative, with the meeting aimed at encouraging Ohana to put pressure on Afik to reverse her opposition to the hurried and irregular manner in which the proposal is being advanced.

The Knesset House Committee is set to hold three marathon sessions next week to advance the controversial law before parliament goes into pre-election recess.

In a letter sent to House Committee members earlier today, Afik reiterated her opposition to transferring the bill from the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee to the House Committee, a step taken last week, arguing that bypassing the committee responsible for constitutional legislation creates “defects and harm to the legislative process” that cannot be remedied.