Israeli opposition figures on Thursday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of legalising draft evasion by ultra-Orthodox Jews, or Haredim, after the Knesset gave preliminary approval to a bill granting Torah study a Basic Law status, according to local media.
The bill would enshrine Torah study as a “fundamental value” in Israel and Jewish society and grant it constitutional status, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Wednesday.
The bill passed its first reading on Wednesday by 63-53 votes and still requires second and third readings before becoming law.
Former Israeli army chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, who heads the “Yashar!” party, said on X that “The attempt to turn draft evasion into a Basic Law is a direct assault on our national backbone.”
Haredi parties say the legislation is intended to provide broader legal protection for religious schools and their students amid a dispute over Haredi military service following court rulings that cancelled longstanding arrangements allowing exemptions or deferments.
According to The Times of Israel, the bill is part of a broader legislative effort by Haredi parties to preserve mass exemptions for yeshiva students by elevating the status of Torah study, alongside separate legislation intended to shield current draft evaders from criminal enforcement.
“While the burden on those who serve is breaking records and the price they pay is unbearably heavy, the coalition chooses to create a bypass route for evasion,” Eisenkot, who recently announced plans to run in the next election, said.
Since October 2023, Israel has been waging attacks on several regional fronts, continuing its genocide in Gaza, launching wars on Lebanon and Iran, carrying out strikes on Yemen and Qatar, and conducting near-daily ground incursions into Syria.
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‘Denigration of Torah’
“Studying Torah is an important value in the State of Israel, but it cannot serve as a political cover for abandoning the mission of defending the state,” Eisenkot said.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the Together (BeYachad) party, also criticised the bill, writing on X: “Immediately upon the establishment of the new government, we will repeal the Basic Law: Denigration of the Torah.”
