Knesset Opens Marathon Sessions on Revised Torah Study Basic Law

The Knesset House Committee, chaired by MK Ofir Katz (Likud), opened the first of three eight-hour marathon sessions on Sunday, June 28, 2026, to fast-track the Basic Law: Torah Study, with further meetings set for Monday and Tuesday. Revised bill text drops earlier language equating full-time yeshiva study with military service, instead honoring Torah study as a foundational value of the Jewish people and a "significant service" to the state, a change made after coalition lawmakers objected. United Torah Judaism leader MK Yitzhak Goldknopf drew opposition fury by saying draft evaders come from Tel Aviv, while Degel Hatorah's MK Moshe Gafni told the panel Torah study has preserved the Jewish people throughout history. The bill cleared its preliminary reading 56-43.