The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the haredi Agudat Yisrael party would be required to remove the clause in the party's charter that prevents women from running on its list for the Knesset.
The ruling, handed down by Supreme Court President Esther Hayut, states that the Agudat Yisrael party is obligated to amend the party's regulations in the next three weeks so that women can become members of the party.
The Supreme Court ruling was directed at the article in the party regulations which states that "every Jewish man aged 18 years or older" may become a member of the party.
However, the clause in question is a declarative statement only. The party made clear several months ago that it was willing to delete the clause that implies that a woman cannot run.
At the same time, Agudat Yisrael clarified that women would continue to not be a part of the haredi representation in the Knesset, as per the instructions of the Council of Torah Sages.
Justice Hayut clarified that from a legal point of view, the amendment of the problematic section will provide the response to the petition.
MK Aliza Lavie (Yesh Atid) welcomed the ruling, saying, “Shehecheyanu. History. Respect for the pioneering haredi female activists. You won."
The haredi women's movement Nivcharot also praised the Supreme Court ruling, saying, "Among the haredi public there are quality women who can strengthen the haredi public and serve it faithfully while preserving its uniqueness and values. We call upon the heads of the haredi parties to understand that it is time to give a voice to 50 percent of the haredi public and add a haredi woman to the party's Knesset list."