Knesset advances Torah Study Basic Law 56-43 as Netanyahu-Haredi pact points to October 20 election
Israel's Knesset voted 56-43 on June 10 to advance, in a preliminary reading, Basic Law: Torah Study, a quasi-constitutional measure declaring Torah study a foundational value of the State of Israel and recognizing long-.
At a glance
- Knesset passed preliminary reading of Basic Law: Torah Study 56-43 on June 10, 2026
- Bill sponsored by UTJ MKs Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher, backed by Shas; moves next to the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee
- Coalition MKs voting against included Yuli Edelstein and Dan Illouz (Likud), Moshe Solomon (Religious Zionist Party) and Deputy FM Sharren Haskel (New Hope)
- Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved the bill on June 9 after 'equality of rights' wording was removed
- Jerusalem Post: advancement is part of an emerging Netanyahu-Haredi deal to set the election date at October 20, to be inserted into the dissolution bill before its second and third readings
VERDICT — CONFIRMED
Israel's Knesset voted 56-43 on June 10 to advance, in a preliminary reading, Basic Law: Torah Study, a quasi-constitutional measure declaring Torah study a foundational value of the State of Israel and recognizing long-term study as service to the state and the Jewish people. The bill, sponsored by United Torah Judaism MKs Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher and backed by Shas, now moves to the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.
Coalition lawmakers voting against included Yuli Edelstein and Dan Illouz of Likud, Moshe Solomon of the Religious Zionist Party and Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel of New Hope. The Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved the bill on June 9 after language mandating 'equality of rights' between IDF soldiers who serve and yeshiva students who do not was stripped at the Religious Zionist Party's insistence.
The Jerusalem Post reported the advancement forms part of an emerging agreement between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Haredi parties to set the election date at October 20 rather than early September, with the date to be inserted into the Knesset dissolution bill — which passed its first reading 106-0 — ahead of its second and third readings; the committee-agreed range runs from September 8 to October 20. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett denounced the measure as 'an exemption law on steroids.'
Why it matters
the 56-43 tally exposes Netanyahu's residual coalition arithmetic and shows the dissolution endgame being traded for quasi-constitutional draft-exemption guarantees, firming October 20 as the likely election date.
Key facts on file
- Knesset passed preliminary reading of Basic Law: Torah Study 56-43 on June 10, 2026
- Bill sponsored by UTJ MKs Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher, backed by Shas; moves next to the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee
- Coalition MKs voting against included Yuli Edelstein and Dan Illouz (Likud), Moshe Solomon (Religious Zionist Party) and Deputy FM Sharren Haskel (New Hope)
- Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved the bill on June 9 after 'equality of rights' wording was removed
- Jerusalem Post: advancement is part of an emerging Netanyahu-Haredi deal to set the election date at October 20, to be inserted into the dissolution bill before its second and third readings
- Knesset dissolution bill earlier passed first reading 106-0 with an agreed election-date range of September 8 to October 20
