The bill states that \u201cTorah study is a fundamental value in the heritage of the Jewish people and in the State of Israel.\u201d Israel does not have a constitution. Instead, it has a series of Knesset-enacted basic laws on various subjects that have high legal status.<\/p>\n
Critics argue the Basic Law: Torah Study bill encourages draft evasion and changes the status of yeshiva students who do not serve, enabling them to continue receiving state benefits even amid the IDF\u2019s severe manpower shortage.<\/p>\n
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi are seen in the Knesset plenum during a vote on the minister’s communications reform, in Jerusalem, July 16, 2026 (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM\/THE JERUSALEM POST)<\/p>\n
What this actually means: Enshrining Torah study in Israel\u2019s basic law will make it much harder for courts to challenge the arrangements in place that let haredi yeshiva students avoid mandatory service in the IDF, as the avoidance can now be defended as students protecting one of Israel\u2019s core values.<\/p>\n
Halting arrest of haredi draft evaders – 58 for, 54 against<\/p>\n
The second major haredi-backed bill called for a temporary freeze<\/a> on the arrests of haredi draft dodgers, and it was passed despite severe legal warnings that the legislation is unbalanced.<\/p>\n IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir warned that such a law would decrease recruitment both from the haredi community and from the general Israeli population by delegitimizing the idea of the IDF as the \u201cnation\u2019s army\u201d in which everyone is equally obligated to serve.<\/p>\n While this was designed as a temporary freeze, set to run until November 30, the law was frozen by the High Court of Justice within a day of passage.<\/p>\n What this actually means: Right now, it\u2019s unclear. With the High Court temporarily freezing the law, its entry into force has been suspended until further notice. Without the High Court\u2019s intervention, over 72,000 haredi men would continue to evade arrest. Moving forward, this could normalize non-enlistment, and, as Zamir warned, this would decrease recruitment across the board, furthering the burden on the IDF\u2019s reservists and soldiers in mandatory service.<\/p>\n Weakening influence, oversight capabilities of attorney-general – 65 for, 51 against<\/p>\n The bill, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s coalition has been pushing to pass during the government\u2019s term, aimed to significantly weaken the attorney-general\u2019s power to influence and oversee the government.<\/p>\n Its passage came amid the government\u2019s ongoing rift with the judiciary and Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara<\/a>.<\/p>\n The bill will grant the government the ability to disregard the attorney-general\u2019s legal opinions, which are generally treated as binding on the executive branch unless a court rules otherwise.<\/p>\n What this actually means: The A-G’s legal opinions function less like advice and more like a binding rule on Israel\u2019s executive branch, and are the real-time check on government action before courts get involved. This law removes that default, and if the government disagrees with the A-G, it no longer needs to convince a court in advance; it can just proceed on its own reading of the law, and the only recourse is after the fact, through a High Court petition.<\/p>\n Sweeping reforms to Israel\u2019s broadcasting sector – 53 for, 48 against<\/p>\n