Basic Law

Is Israel too polarized for a constitution? That’s why we need one - opinion

Today, however, we are more divided than ever. We struggle to agree on almost anything, certainly not on our fundamental values. However, polarization is precisely why we cannot wait.

THE KNESSET plenum meets this week. Israel’s rules of the game are not anchored in a constitution and can be changed by a simple Knesset majority, the writer notes.
 Rabbi Meir Kahane at a New York news conference, Aug. 31, 1984.

Under Netanyahu, Meir Kahane’s doctrine has contaminated Likud - opinion

Opposition members of Israel's Knesset leave during a preliminary vote to establish a political commission of inquiry, December 24, 2025; Illustrative.

Knesset to High Court: Judicial-selection overhaul does not justify striking down Basic Law

PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu is seen walking past haredi lawmaker Yitzhak Goldknopf, at the Prime Minister’s Office in 2023.

Netanyahu’s haredi gamble may become his biggest election liability - analysis


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.

Marathon Knesset meetings set to rapidly advance haredi parties’ contentious Torah study bill

The bill seeks to enshrine Torah study in the country’s Basic Law as part of a proposal that critics argue encourages draft evasion and changes the status of yeshiva students who do not serve.

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

Netanyahu's political survival deal with the ultra-Orthodox comes at Israel's expense - opinion

The rotten deal Netanyahu is weaving in public with his non-Zionist partners allows the haredi sector to milk Israel's reserves dry without contributing anything.

PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu is seen walking past haredi lawmaker Yitzhak Goldknopf, at the Prime Minister’s Office in 2023.

Derech eretz lost - Why the proposed Basic Law betrays our sacred covenant - opinion

When this war began, there was a brief, powerful moment of unity. We believed that the existential threat would finally force a consensus: every capable citizen must contribute to the state's defense

A haredi (ultra-Orthodox) anti-draft protester holds a banner reading "Even those who do not learn in Yeshiva need to stay Jewish. It's forbidden to commit spiritual suicide in the IDF's crematoriums," during an anti-draft protest at the IDF's Jerusalem recruitment center, April 12, 2026.

Ministerial committee approves Torah Study bill amid coalition tensions

Netanyahu’s coalition advances the Torah Study law, despite opposition and warnings that the bill could worsen draft evasion amid Israel’s manpower shortage.

Shas leader MK Aryeh Deri seen during a Shas party meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on January 23, 2023.

Deri says Shas supports draft evaders during prison visit, calls to add Torah study to Basic Law

The visit was made to the Neve Tzedek Military Prison, and Deri was accompanied by other lawmakers from his party, including MK Michael Malkieli and Haim Biton.

SHAS PARTY leader Arye Deri visits military prison expressing support for draft evaders, Sunday, June 7, 2026.