Israeli Supreme Court Begins Hearing on Basic Law for Torah Study, State to Respond by September

The Israeli Supreme Court has commenced hearings on petitions challenging the recently approved Basic Law: Torah Study, just hours after its passage in the Knesset. Justice Ofer Grosskopf ordered the government and other respondents to submit a preliminary response by September 15, 2026, while rejecting a request to issue an interim injunction against the law. This decision means the law remains in effect as the legal process continues.

The first petition against the law was filed immediately following its second and third readings in the Knesset by the Movement for Quality Government. The organization argues that the law seeks to grant constitutional status to Torah study in a way that impacts military conscription and the principle of equal burden sharing. They claim the law attempts to constitutionally legitimize exemption from military service and bypass Supreme Court rulings on conscription.

The Movement for Quality Government also criticized the law's rapid advancement without sufficient public debate, asserting it was born out of political agreements and aims to constitutionally justify future military service exemptions. They pledged to continue legal efforts to annul the law and enforce equal application of the Defense Service Law.

Justice Grosskopf noted in his ruling that due to the absence of concrete operational provisions in the Basic Law, there was no basis at this stage to grant an interim injunction. The law establishes a general constitutional principle without practical enforcement mechanisms, which influenced the court's decision not to freeze it during the ongoing legal review.