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Ultra-Orthodox Jews' conscription exemption bill passes Israeli committee
A Knesset committee has approved a controversial bill that would exempt ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jewish students from mandatory military service and define Torah study as the "highest national value." The opposition argues the bill is designed to nullify a previous Supreme Court ruling.
The Knesset's Arrangements Committee approved a controversial bill that would pave the way for exempting ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jewish students from mandatory military service, sending it to the plenum.
According to The Times of Israel, following heated debates, the committee passed the "Basic Law: Torah Study" bill, which recognizes Torah study as "one of the fundamental rights of Israeli citizens," by a vote of 10 to 4. The bill is expected to have its first reading in the plenum on Wednesday.
The coalition government aims to pass the bill into law before the parliament's summer recess begins on July 16. Presented by ultra-Orthodox parties, the bill seeks to protect Haredi students who refuse military service from criminal prosecution and legal proceedings.
In Israel, which has no written constitution, Basic Laws hold the highest legal authority and are considered equivalent to constitutional provisions. If passed, the bill would add a new law to the existing Basic Laws, making a change at the constitutional level.
Deputy attorney general slams bill
Deputy Attorney General Avital Sompolinski strongly criticized the government's move. Emphasizing that the bill contains many unresolved constitutional issues, Sompolinski said, "It is not possible to move to a first reading without giving a clear answer to the question of what the real purpose of this law is."
Sompolinski argued that if the aim is to regulate the status of the Haredi community in Israeli society, as implied by the bill's authors, then this would require a much broader discussion involving a balance of "rights and obligations," but the current bill does not address these fundamental questions.
Opposition reacts sharply
Opposition lawmakers stated that the sole purpose of the law is to nullify the Supreme Court's previous ruling, which found the exemption of Haredi students from military service illegal, and to circumvent this legal obstacle.
Moshe Turpaz, a lawmaker from the opposition Yesh Atid party, described the bill as the "most dangerous" bill in the Knesset and accused its authors of distorting justice. Turpaz, who was expelled from the hall by Likud party's coalition chairman Ofir Katz, said, "This is a malicious attempt being pushed through the Knesset to grant a special status to Torah students as if saving property from a burning building."
Yisrael Beiteinu party leader Avigdor Liberman opposed the bill, saying that if a new government is formed after general elections, "all these illegal laws will be repealed."
Haredim welcome decision
Yitzhak Goldknopf, leader of the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party representing the Haredi community, defended the necessity of the law in a speech at the committee meeting, saying, "Jews are being arrested just for studying Torah." Goldknopf claimed that students at yeshivas, or Torah schools, are treated like "thieves" or "terrorists."
UTJ lawmaker Moshe Gafni, one of the bill's authors, welcomed the decision, saying, "What has sustained the Jewish people throughout history is Torah study, and now it will receive the official status it deserves in the Jewish state."
In Israel, with a population of about 10 million, Haredim constitute approximately 13 percent of the population. Haredim refuse military service on religious grounds. On June 25, 2024, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that Haredim have no legal basis for exemption in a country where military service is mandatory for all. Haredi parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government strongly opposed the ruling and increased pressure to prepare a new conscription law. The failure to reach an agreement on the law had led to a political crisis.
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