Netanyahu Pushes Ultra-Orthodox Deal Amid Efforts to Protect Draft Evaders

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is advancing two related moves with ultra-Orthodox parties: a revised Basic Law on Torah study and temporary immunity from arrest for yeshiva students, according to a report aired Thursday on Channel 13’s Central Edition. The new draft of the Basic Law was distributed on June 25, 2026, and a marathon set of committee hearings is expected to begin next week in the Knesset.

The revised wording is meant to secure coalition backing after Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich opposed the previous version, which had equated military service and Torah study in terms of rights and obligations. Ultra-Orthodox leaders say the new text preserves the original goal and provides them with a legal shield. The proposal describes Torah study as a foundational value in Israel intended to balance other basic values, including IDF service and burden sharing.

At the same time, Netanyahu is said to have promised the Haredim immunity from arrest without creating any system to monitor who is actually studying. Channel 13 reported that Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs met Speaker Amir Ohana to pressure the Knesset’s legal adviser into approving the plan, even though she already said it was impermissible, unreasonable, and “unacceptable.” The committee’s legal advisers also strongly oppose it.

The Knesset’s legal adviser asked the Haredim to accept daily fingerprinting for anyone claiming Torah study, to verify attendance at yeshiva, but they rejected the condition. Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chair Boaz Bismuth said, “To advance the law I need the defense minister’s support.” Defense Minister Israel Katz is avoiding a decision because of expected legal objections. Initially, Degel HaTorah chairman Moshe Gafni was hesitant, but he later reversed course after Shas leader Aryeh Deri saw a political opportunity before the elections. United Torah Judaism and Agudat Yisrael said they would join only after legal approval. Haredi sources said Netanyahu promised that the measure would reach the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee next week, adding, “Our expectations and demands are only from the prime minister.”