Basic Law

Grapevine, July 3, 2026: Presidential terms

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

Indian ambassador J.P. Singh (left) and Jerusalem Botanical Gardens CEO Tom Amit planting a lotus.
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir seen on November 3, 2025

Soldiers are 'most important resource,' IDF chief says as haredi draft bill advances in Knesset

Democrats leader Yair Golan addresses reporters at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, June 22, 2026

When ‘democracy’ becomes a disguise - opinion

People walk past election posters for the upcoming elections in Jerusalem on October 24, 2022.

Israel cannot afford Netanyahu’s capitulation to haredi demands - editorial


Knesset panel advances ultra-Orthodox bill to enshrine Torah study in Basic Law

Critics say the bill could preserve state benefits for yeshiva students who avoid military service amid the IDF’s manpower shortage.

The Knesset House Committee votes to advance the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties' bill that seeks to enshrine Torah Study in the country's Basic Law. June 30, 2026.

Marathon Knesset meetings set to rapidly advance haredi parties’ contentious Torah study bill

The bill seeks to enshrine Torah study in the country’s Basic Law as part of a proposal that critics argue encourages draft evasion and changes the status of yeshiva students who do not serve.

MKS ATTEND a House committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, on June 16, 2026.

Netanyahu's political survival deal with the ultra-Orthodox comes at Israel's expense - opinion

The rotten deal Netanyahu is weaving in public with his non-Zionist partners allows the haredi sector to milk Israel's reserves dry without contributing anything.

PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu is seen walking past haredi lawmaker Yitzhak Goldknopf, at the Prime Minister’s Office in 2023.

Derech eretz lost - Why the proposed Basic Law betrays our sacred covenant - opinion

When this war began, there was a brief, powerful moment of unity. We believed that the existential threat would finally force a consensus: every capable citizen must contribute to the state's defense

A haredi (ultra-Orthodox) anti-draft protester holds a banner reading "Even those who do not learn in Yeshiva need to stay Jewish. It's forbidden to commit spiritual suicide in the IDF's crematoriums," during an anti-draft protest at the IDF's Jerusalem recruitment center, April 12, 2026.

Ministerial committee approves Torah Study bill amid coalition tensions

Netanyahu’s coalition advances the Torah Study law, despite opposition and warnings that the bill could worsen draft evasion amid Israel’s manpower shortage.

Shas leader MK Aryeh Deri seen during a Shas party meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on January 23, 2023.

Deri says Shas supports draft evaders during prison visit, calls to add Torah study to Basic Law

The visit was made to the Neve Tzedek Military Prison, and Deri was accompanied by other lawmakers from his party, including MK Michael Malkieli and Haim Biton.

SHAS PARTY leader Arye Deri visits military prison expressing support for draft evaders, Sunday, June 7, 2026.

Israel's new death penalty law marks moral break, sparks discrimination fears, expert says

For Prof. Yoram Rabin, a criminal and constitutional law scholar and president of the College of Management Academic Studies, the law is both a moral rupture and a legally vulnerable one.

A VOTE on the death penalty for terrorists who murder Israeli civilians at the auditorium in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, March 30, 2026.

Chaos of October 7: What any inquiry must uncover - opinion

With the state comptroller blocked, citizens must focus on the questions a future inquiry into the failures leading up to the October 7 massacre.

Matanyahu Englman

What's behind bills to 'split' A-G role - and will it change Israel's legal governance? - explainer

Critics say Israel’s system lacks the structural safeguards that would prevent a weakened oversight of government actions under a divided A-G role.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin glances at Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, September 18, 2025

Full Supreme Court to hear challenge to Judicial Selection Committee law

Israel’s Supreme Court escalates its review of the Judicial Selection overhaul, assigning the case to all 11 justices and delaying hearings to June.

View of the empty courtroom at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on July 13, 2025.