Overview
- The Knesset approved the bill in a preliminary reading by 56–43 on Wednesday, sending it to a parliamentary committee before a first-reading vote.
- Coalition negotiators removed language that explicitly equated long-term Torah study with military service to secure broader support from partners such as Religious Zionism.
- Internal strain surfaced when Religious Zionism MK Moshe Solomon voted against the measure without warning his faction, prompting calls for party sanctions and highlighting coalition fragility.
- Ultra-Orthodox leaders used political leverage, including an ultimatum from Shas chairman Aryeh Deri to force a vote this week, and demonstrators have protested recent conscription moves in Jerusalem.
- If passed as a Basic Law the measure would carry constitutional weight that could shape future rulings on exemptions, funding and the conscription debate and requires a simple Knesset majority in later readings.