Basic Law

Basic Law: Debasing Torah - opinion

The proposed Basic Law: Torah Study would grant constitutional status to Torah study, but in practice it would turn a sacred obligation into a political and legal instrument. That would harm Torah...

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from the Vizhnitz Hasidic dynasty study Torah outside the Justice Ministry in Jerusalem during a silent protest against the imprisonment of yeshiva students who failed to comply with military recruitment orders, July 1, 2026; Illustrative.
HAREDI DEMONSTRATORS protest in Jerusalem on July 23, 2025.

Haredi leadership and Netanyahu are facing the same dilemma - opinion

Haredi anti-draft protesters block Highway 4 near Bnei Brak denouncing the detention of a draft dodger, February 9, 2026.

Laundering human capital: The reckless amnesty bills and their debasement of the Torah - opinion

Shas head Arye Deri is seen in the plenum of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, July 14, 2025

Knesset advances Torah study bill after haredim, Netanyahu agree to strip controversial clause


WATCH: ‘We’ve paid with our blood’: Veterans confront haredi lawmakers demanding support

The House Committee had convened to hear revisions on the contentious bill that seeks to enshrine Torah study as a fundamental value in the country’s Basic Law, ahead of final readings.

Combat veterans suffering from PTSD react during a House committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem on, July 9, 2026.

Shas spiritual leader orders support for coalition legislation in exchange for haredi-backed bills

Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef warned there was “no room for delay” on the Torah Study Law amid coalition efforts to advance contentious legislation.

 ARYE DERI sits in the Knesset plenum.

It’s about time that Torah study counted for something - opinion

That same Torah which gives us our claim to the land also commands us to study it day and night – and our tradition holds that this study is itself a form of national defense.

Ultra orthodox Jewish reserve soldiers of the IDF's Hasmonean Brigade operate in the Gaza Strip on June 26, 2025.

The hidden economic danger in the Basic Law on Torah Study

Another significant dimension has received almost no attention: the possibility that the law will alter Israel’s national priorities and damage the growth engines on which the Israeli economy depends

MKS ATTEND a House committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, on June 16, 2026.

'Little girls with microphones': IDF veteran slams MKs during Basic Law: Torah Study cm'tee meeting

“It's a crime what you're doing to them - all of you here. If I gave each and every one of you the footage from my GoPro of the bodies, you wouldn't sleep at night," the veteran told the committee.

Combat veterans suffering from PTSD attends a House committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem on, July 7, 2026.

Grapevine, July 3, 2026: Presidential terms

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

Indian ambassador J.P. Singh (left) and Jerusalem Botanical Gardens CEO Tom Amit planting a lotus.

Soldiers are 'most important resource,' IDF chief says as haredi draft bill advances in Knesset

"It is fitting and proper that they [soldiers] be first in the order of priorities to receive the nation’s appreciation through its decisions and allocation of resources," said Zamir.

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir seen on November 3, 2025

When ‘democracy’ becomes a disguise - opinion

The hollowing-out of a word – and the agenda it now carries.

Democrats leader Yair Golan addresses reporters at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, June 22, 2026

Israel cannot afford Netanyahu’s capitulation to haredi demands - editorial

Netanyahu is echoing false claims about arrests in yeshivas while ignoring practical proposals that could increase haredi enlistment.

People walk past election posters for the upcoming elections in Jerusalem on October 24, 2022.

Knesset panel advances ultra-Orthodox bill to enshrine Torah study in Basic Law

Critics say the bill could preserve state benefits for yeshiva students who avoid military service amid the IDF’s manpower shortage.

The Knesset House Committee votes to advance the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties' bill that seeks to enshrine Torah Study in the country's Basic Law. June 30, 2026.