Gafni and Deri Warn They Will Back Knesset Dissolution Unless Draft Bills Advance

United Torah Judaism leader Moshe Gafni and Shas leader Aryeh Deri said Tuesday that they have demanded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately advance two bills, a Basic Law on Torah study and legislation to stop arrests of Torah students. In a joint statement after meeting Netanyahu, they said they were acting on behalf of Israel’s leading rabbis and asked him to convene the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and the Knesset Committee this week to move the bills forward.

Gafni and Deri warned that if they do not see “practical actions as required,” they will support dissolving the Knesset as early as next week. Their offices said Netanyahu told them in the meeting that he is committed to passing the laws and will work to speed up their progress.

The Basic Law on Torah study seeks to enshrine Torah learning as a foundational value of the State of Israel and to define long-term Torah study as meaningful service to the state and the Jewish people. Last month, the Knesset plenum approved the proposal in a preliminary vote, 56 to 43, after senior United Torah Judaism and Shas figures set an ultimatum for Netanyahu.

The bill was introduced by Gafni and MK Yaakov Asher. Gafni said after that vote, “Torah study was what held the Jewish people together for thousands of years, it was the refuge of the people in all periods.” Critics objected that the wording compares Torah learners’ contribution with the service of IDF soldiers and security forces. Because of coalition disputes, understandings were reached that the text will undergo significant changes before the first reading.