Knesset advances bill to enshrine Torah study, supporting haredi draft exemptions

The Knesset has passed a preliminary reading of a bill that seeks to enshrine Torah study into Israel's Basic Law. The legislation, pushed by haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties, aims to support draft evasion by allowing Yeshiva students who do not serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to continue receiving state benefits.

The bill secured 56 votes in favor and 43 against during Wednesday's vote. It was initially sponsored by Degel Hatroah leader MK Moshe Gafni and has received government backing. A similar bill from the haredi Sephardic Shas Party, which contained contentious wording calling for equality between IDF soldiers and draft-evading haredim, is expected to be merged with Gafni's proposal.

This move has sparked significant debate and opposition. The far-right Religious Zionist Party, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, declared it would not support language demanding equality for those evading military service. While some members of the Religious Zionist Party voted for the bill, others, along with Likud party members MK Dan Illouz and MK Yuli Edelestein, voted against it.

Gafni's bill proposes recognizing individuals dedicated to long-term Torah study as performing significant service to the state and the Jewish people. This would ease the process of granting benefits and rights to haredi men who do not enlist. Haredi party leaders have consistently urged the current coalition to advance legislation that avoids increasing haredi enlistment, despite repeated warnings from the IDF about an urgent manpower shortage, particularly after more than two years of war. In March, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir stated the IDF could face collapse without a solution to this shortage. The advancement of this legislation also follows a High Court of Justice order in April for the state to take concrete steps to revoke key financial benefits from draft-evading individuals.

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