Deri Issues Coalition Ultimatum: Pass Torah Study Basic Law This Week or No Other Legislation Moves Forward
Shas chairman Aryeh Deri has delivered a blunt message to coalition leaders: if the proposed Basic Law: Torah Study is not advanced this Wednesday, no other legislation will move forward.
The ultimatum comes after renewed pressure from chareidi parties to advance the bill, which has remained stalled for an extended period despite repeated calls for action.
Deri was the first to publicly demand movement on the legislation following last week’s Shas faction meeting. Only after his intervention did other chareidi parties begin actively promoting the measure, which is formally registered under the name of Degel HaTorah. Even within the Litvish faction, there had been uncertainty last week over whether to push the legislation at all.
According to Shas officials, Deri considers passage of the Basic Law: Torah Study an urgent priority and is less concerned with which party receives political credit for the initiative. Party leaders also stressed that no one in Shas requested the postponement of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation meeting, which was expected to discuss the proposal.
Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni said Sunday evening that the bill had been placed on the agenda of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation.
“Basic Law: Torah Study has been placed on the agenda of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation. At the direction of our revered Torah leaders, I was instructed to submit and advance this legislation,” Gafni said.
Gafni also expressed frustration that the committee had not yet convened.
“To my great surprise, the committee has still not met today,” he said. “I demand that it be convened immediately so that the bill can be brought before the Knesset plenum on Wednesday for its preliminary reading.”
Meanwhile, MK Yinon Azoulay has submitted a similar proposal. However, due to concerns raised by the Knesset’s legal advisers, it remains unclear whether his version of the legislation will be ready for a vote as early as Wednesday.
Despite the growing pressure from the chareidi parties, a senior Likud official told Kikar HaShabbat on Sunday that there is significant doubt whether the current coalition has the votes necessary to pass the measure.
“There is serious doubt that the current coalition can secure a majority for the Basic Law: Torah Study,” the official said.
The assessment raises questions about whether the legislation can clear even its first hurdle if it reaches the Knesset floor.
As previously reported, earlier Sunday, Deri visited Prison 10, where several yeshiva bochurim are being held over military draft-related issues. During the visit, he pledged to continue fighting for passage of the Basic Law: Torah Study and sharply criticized the treatment of Torah learners.
“From here we cry out: Stop treating Torah learners like criminals,” Deri declared.
{Matzav.com}
