Gafni Warns Coalition He Will Not Be Humiliated Again Over Torah Study Basic Law

United Torah Judaism lawmaker Moshe Gafni, who heads the Degel HaTorah faction, warned the coalition on Monday during a Knesset Committee debate on the Basic Law for Torah Study. His remarks focused on the disputed bill’s path after it already passed a preliminary reading, amid continued tension over whether the coalition really intends to advance it.

Gafni said he would not continue the legislative process without a genuine commitment to pass the law. “I am tired of promises in this term,” he said. He added that if the committee approves moving the bill from the Constitution Committee to the Knesset Committee, he wants, as the bill’s initiator, to know before the hearings begin whether the intention is actually to promote and approve it.

He then issued a sharper warning, saying, “I am announcing in the clearest possible terms, I do not intend to be humiliated again.” Gafni also said, “I have had enough of promises that were not kept.” The article notes that cabinet ministers opposed the bill, and that a controversial clause in the Basic Law for Torah Study would be removed, according to Arye Yuali.

The debate underscores the coalition’s continuing struggle to define the bill’s future and whether it will move forward in a meaningful way.