Haredi Parties Agree to Remove Clause from Basic Law on Torah Study Following Netanyahu's Demand

In a significant political concession, the ultra-Orthodox parties Degel HaTorah and Shas announced on Thursday their agreement to delete Clause 2 from the proposed Basic Law on Torah Study. This decision came after explicit demands from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud party. The move follows the bill's initial approval in the Knesset plenum with a majority of 63 members.

The joint statement from Degel HaTorah and Shas emphasized their refusal to alter the law's core essence despite Netanyahu and Likud's request to add new sections not present in the original draft. They proposed that any additional provisions be advanced through separate legislation rather than within the Basic Law on Torah Study. The compromise was made under direct instruction from leading Torah sages, ensuring the law would retain only its primary clause, which recognizes Torah study as a fundamental value in the heritage of the Jewish people.

The ultra-Orthodox parties framed the concession as preserving the law's heart and principle, which is to enshrine the status of Torah study as a foundational value in Israeli society. The original bill included other clauses that sparked controversy within the coalition and the public. The decision follows intense coalition pressure, highlighted by four coalition MKs, Yuli Edelstein, Dan Illouz, Sharren Haskel, and Moshe Solomon, voting against the bill at its first reading, causing a rift within the government.

MK Dan Illouz openly criticized the coalition's alliance with the ultra-Orthodox parties, accusing them of endangering Israel's existence by prioritizing religious bloc interests over national needs, especially regarding military conscription during wartime. Opposition leader Yair Lapid also condemned the bill at the Herzliya Conference, accusing ultra-Orthodox politicians of indifference to soldiers' sacrifices and focusing solely on securing substantial funding for their communities.