At Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s request, the coalition is expected to transfer the Basic Law: Torah Study from the Constitution Committee to the Knesset Committee, despite opposition from the Knesset legal adviser, according to Kan News. The move is intended to let the Religious Zionism party distance itself from responsibility for advancing the bill, which has little support in parts of the national religious camp.
The Knesset plenum approved the proposal in a preliminary reading just over a week ago, by 56 votes to 43. The vote exposed cracks in the coalition, with four coalition members voting against it: Yuli Edelstein, Dan Illouz, Sharren Haskel and Moshe Solomon.
The explanatory notes to the bill say its purpose is to anchor in a Basic Law the status of Torah study as a foundational value in the heritage of the Jewish people. It also proposes that Israel recognize those who commit to long-term Torah study as performing meaningful service to the state and the Jewish people. The next procedural step is the expected committee transfer, which will determine how the legislation advances.
