Netanyahu’s Deal with the Haredim Is Stopped as Knesset Legal Adviser Delays the Bill

Against the backdrop of security tensions and preparations for elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s effort to strengthen cooperation with the Haredi parties has run into a major legal obstacle. The proposed “Basic Law: Torah Study,” promoted in order to grant Torah students status and financial conditions equal to those of IDF servicemembers, was blocked at the last minute and will not be brought to a vote this week as planned.

The bill seeks to establish that Torah study is a supreme value in Israel, and that Torah students will be considered as performing “significant service for the good of the people of Israel.” In practical terms, the proposal would grant broad rights and financial benefits to Torah students, similar to those given to soldiers and members of the security forces.

Discussion of the bill, which was supposed to come before the ministerial committee on legislation, was delayed after intervention by the Knesset legal adviser, who determined that the process of submitting the bill had been handled improperly. Following the decision, the agenda of the ministerial committee on legislation was changed, and the Shas party’s initiative to take political credit for passing the bill this week was halted.

Alongside the legal obstruction, the bill is also drawing widespread anger and deep disagreement within the coalition itself. Various figures are voicing sharp criticism of the substance of the law and of the attempt to equate the status of those who do not serve in the army with those bearing the security burden. Despite pressure from the United Torah Judaism faction to advance its own bill on the issue, assessments in the political system are that at this stage the law does not have a guaranteed majority in the Knesset, and its chances of passing in its current form are slim.