Current sectionIsrael NewsIsrael Elections 2026The bill originally equated the status of Torah students with that of Israelis in military service, though ministers requested that the comparison be removed. The vote is part of a broader effort by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to enshrine his preferred election date in OctoberShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeNoa Shpigel10:46 PM • June 10 2026 IDTIsrael's parliament on Wednesday voted to move forward with a bill that would enshrine in the country's Basic Law a special standing for Israelis engaged in full-time Jewish religious studies.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:ShasUltra-OrthodoxKnessetHaredim Israeli politicsUnited Torah JudaismCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Israel-Iran Live UpdatesTrump-NetanyahuWest Bank SanctionsLebanonGazaKarim KhanHaQuizHaaretz PodcastPolice Recommend Corruption Charges Against Likud Minister May GolanIsraeli Researchers Develop Treatment That May Reduce Spinal Injury ParalysisNothing More Serious Than Play: An Israeli Guide to Raising Kids During WartimeNetanyahu Never Learns From the Past, and It's Costing Him in WashingtonHundreds of Haredi Protesters Clash With Police Over Arrest of IDF Draft DodgersRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMI'We Were Ordered to Kill': The 1967 Nakba That Israelis Don't Know AboutSix-year-old Boy Punctures a Magritte Iconic Masterpiece at Israel MuseumOne Killed, Five Wounded in Terror Shooting Rampage in Central IsraelGermany Is Paying a Price for Its Sweeping Support for IsraelIf the Netanyahu Government Falls, This Will Be the Reason'Server in the Sky': How Israeli Drones Became a 'Target Generator' Over Gaza