Minister of Heritage Amihai Eliyahu voiced principled support for a basic law on Torah study promoted by the haredi parties.
"The value of Torah study is existential; it is not marginal. Without the Torah we have no right to exist," he said in an interview with Kol Chai.
He added, however, that those who do not study Torah must enlist. "Anyone who does not study Torah and who exploits the law to support himself must contribute to the nation in another way."
He added later: "It does not matter whether this Torah student now is black, or white, or of another color - the main thing is that Torah be a fundamental value in the Jewish state."