The Knesset House Committee voted on Tuesday to advance the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties' controversial bill that seeks to enshrine Torah Study in the country's Basic Law ahead of its first reading in the plenum.
The legislation was approved by the panel with ten lawmakers in favor and four against. The bill is reportedly expected to be brought for its first reading in the Knesset plenum already on Wednesday.
The Basic Law: Torah Study bill is part of a proposal that critics argue encourages draft evasion and changes the status of yeshiva students who do not serve, enabling them to continue receiving state benefits.
The committee approval came after three days of marathon meetings were held to fast-track the legislation.
The approval also came after the haredi parties continued to boycott coalition voting to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition to advance the legislation.
The bill passed its preliminary reading earlier this month and must still undergo three more required readings to take effect.
Israel does not have a constitution, and instead has a series of Knesset-legislated basic laws on various subjects that hold a high legal status.
Critics argue the bill would support draft evaders
The bill to enshrine Torah study in Basic Law is also part of a series of bills being advanced by the haredi parties that critics argue would support haredi draft evaders during the IDF’s severe manpower crisis.
The most recent proposal being advanced is a bill that would temporarily freeze the arrests of haredi draft evaders, which was debated for the first time on Tuesday in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
Last week, leaders of Degel Hatorah and Shas, MKs Moshe Gafni and Arye Deri, released a joint statement saying they held a meeting with Netanyahu.
The two stated that the prime minister had “made it clear at the meeting that he is committed to approving the laws and will work to advance them quickly.”
Subsequently, on Thursday, the marathon meetings were set to advance the Basic Law: Torah Study bill.
The haredi parties have encouraged the coalition to advance legislation that would not increase haredi enlistment. The IDF has repeatedly warned of an urgent manpower shortage after more than two years of war.
In April, the High Court of Justice ordered that the state take concrete steps to revoke key financial benefits from draft evaders and to move toward criminal enforcement against haredi men who evade military service.
In March, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said the IDF could soon collapse if no solution was found for the manpower shortage.
The tensions also come amid the coalition’s last Knesset session to advance its legislation before the upcoming elections, scheduled for no later than October 27.