Israeli Knesset Passes Basic Law on Torah Study Amid Controversy and Netanyahu's Absence

The Israeli Knesset approved the Basic Law on Torah Study with a vote of 63 in favor and 52 against. The law declares that "Torah study is a fundamental value in the heritage of the Jewish people and the State of Israel." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was absent from the vote. Due to public criticism, the approved version excludes a key clause intended to balance Torah study with other fundamental state values, leaving the law's constitutional significance unclear.

This Basic Law is part of a legislative package agreed upon by the coalition to satisfy ultra-Orthodox parties, who supported controversial laws such as the Attorney General split law in return. The second law in the package, passed recently in the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, freezes the arrest of yeshiva students until the end of January. The ultra-Orthodox hoped the Basic Law would protect this exemption from legal challenges, but after removing the balancing clause, that protection appears unlikely.

The removal of the balancing clause sparked sharp disagreements between the Knesset legal advisors. Knesset Attorney Sagit Afik stated the law would not affect specific issues like sanctions or resource allocation and would not harm soldiers, emphasizing that interpretation would evolve over time, potentially allowing courts to consider Torah study as a fundamental value in general terms. Conversely, Deputy Attorney Avital Sompolinsky argued the law's practical meaning remains unclear and that without the balancing clause, it may be purely declarative, offering no new legal tools to courts.

The committee did not clarify its position, leaving the Supreme Court to interpret the law's implications in the future.