Haredi

The advancement of a bill to freeze the arrests of draft evaders comes after the contentious Basic Law: Torah Study bill advanced last week in the Knesset’s House Committee.

Hundreds of Jerusalem residents gathered in support of Cafe Basimta as police removed two protesters near the entrance.

Haredi leadership is throwing everything at the wall: a Basic Law, road-blocking protests organized by the party, voting boycotts in the Knesset – anything to convince their base they can deliver

Under the guise of concern for the world of Torah, two bills are on the table: the Basic Law: Torah Study on the one side, and the Law of Exemption from Arrests on the other. 

The agreement is expected to allow the bill to advance in the Knesset's House Committee ahead of its final second and third readings after previous coaltion objections to wording.

The House Committee had convened to hear revisions on the contentious bill that seeks to enshrine Torah study as a fundamental value in the country’s Basic Law, ahead of final readings.

The employment rate for Haredi men stands at 53% – a figure that represents a decade-long halt and sparks pessimism regarding the achievement of government targets.

The protesters were acting violently, according to the military, and they entered a restricted military area before being forcibly removed. 

The protests follow an N12 News report that haredi protests have cumulatively caused over NIS 400 million in damage to the Jerusalem light rail's unfinished Green Line.

Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef warned there was “no room for delay” on the Torah Study Law amid coalition efforts to advance contentious legislation.