The Knesset's Ministerial Committee for Legislation is expected to discuss on Sunday a new bill titled the "Basic Law: Torah Study."
The legislation, introduced by MK Avi Maoz of the Noam party, seeks to enshrine in law that yeshiva students are performing "meaningful service to the State and the Jewish people."
At the same time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the cancellation of Monday’s planned discussion on the Draft Law itself.
Maoz's proposal is not new; it has been on the table since the start of the current government term, initially as a demand from the Haredi parties, but has been repeatedly postponed due to political and security circumstances.
The bill contains two main components: The first seeks to formally recognize Torah study as a "foundational value in the heritage of the Jewish people." The second, more significant part, would define long-term Torah study as a form of "meaningful service," which would affect the legal rights and obligations of those involved.
If passed, the law would establish a legal framework under which yeshiva students are no longer considered draft evaders, but participants in an alternative form of national service.