Deri Slams Likud MKs Over Torah Study Basic Law, Says Arabs Understand Its Value Better

After the “Basic Law: Torah Study” was approved today, Wednesday, in a preliminary reading in the Knesset, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri promised to “turn over every stone” to stop the arrests of draft dodgers, and lashed out at Likud MKs who voted against the bill: “The Arab MKs understand the value of the Torah better than they do.”

The front page of the Shas party newspaper HaDerekh featured a caricature and a photo of Deri from Prison 10, Beit Lid, where he visited draft dodgers earlier this week. In an interview headlined, “Faithful Judaism, led by the Shas movement, is united in a cry, enough with the persecution of Torah learners!”, he called for an end to treating yeshiva students as criminals. Deri also promised to “turn over every stone” by the end of the summer session to stop the arrests of draft dodgers, and attacked Likud MKs Dan Illouz, Yuli Edelstein, and also Sharen Haskel from Gideon Saar’s party, who voted today against the bill seeking to enshrine Torah study as a foundational value. “Unfortunately, the Arab MKs have more understanding of the value of Torah than some Likud MKs.”

In the party organ, a caricature was also published showing three figures, perhaps representing some of the Religious Zionism and Likud lawmakers opposing the bill, as they cut down the tree on which the State of Israel is supposedly sitting, with the words “Basic Law, Torah Study” written on it.

The Basic Law: Torah Study passed today by a vote of 56 MKs in favor to 43 against. Likud MKs Dan Illouz, Yuli Edelstein and Sharen Haskel opposed the bill, as did MK Moshe Solomon from Religious Zionism, who was quickly removed from all Knesset committees by his party chairman Bezalel Smotrich after voting against the bill.

According to opposition sources, 10 MKs from the Arab parties were absent from the vote after MKs Ahmad Tibi and Mansour Abbas conveyed to them a message saying it would be difficult for them to oppose the bill. According to those sources, the Arab MKs were absent because of a “deal” between them and the United Torah Judaism faction, which promised to torpedo the “muezzin bill”, which was recently approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation.

In any case, it should be noted that even if the absent MKs had voted against the Basic Law: Torah Study, it would still have been approved in the plenum, and Otzma Yehudit announced that it would bring the “muezzin bill” to a vote next week.

The original wording of the bill also included an equivalence between the status of Torah learners and those serving in the IDF, but following criticism, that clause was removed. The proposal now states that “Torah study is a foundational value in the heritage of the Jewish people and a fundamental right in the State of Israel. The State of Israel, as a Jewish state, sees great importance in encouraging Torah study and Torah scholars, and regards those who have undertaken to devote themselves to Torah study for an extended period as making a significant contribution to the State of Israel and the Jewish people.”

Meanwhile, dozens of detainees who had been held since the unrest at the home of Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg last week were released from custody today. The police began transferring 19 of them, identified during the investigation and as criminal draft dodgers, to the military police. Other ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers who were arrested across the country were also transferred.