JERUSALEM (VINnews) — During a meeting of the Knesset’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation held on Tuesday morning, it was agreed to advance a revised version of the proposed Basic Law: Torah Study. The new version will reflect the importance of Torah scholars without equating them with IDF servicemembers, as had a previous version.

A statement issued on behalf of the committee said:”The change comes in response to demands from the Religious Zionism faction and the Likud faction.”

Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs and the Minister of Justice confirmed during the committee discussion that the controversial clause would be removed and that the bill would return to committee before its first reading.

The clause in question stated: “The Basic Law shall establish that those who undertake to devote themselves to Torah study for a significant period shall be regarded as performing meaningful service to the State of Israel and the Jewish people, and that this shall have implications for their rights and obligations.”

Coalition officials estimate that once the clause is removed, members of the Religious Zionism faction will also support the bill. The move is intended to broaden support for the legislation and reduce public criticism that arose over the controversial provision. Sources in Likud emphasized that the goal is to enshrine the supreme value of Torah study without creating a direct comparison that could provoke controversy.

The Religious Zionism faction stated this morning: “The Religious Zionism faction has announced that it will not allow the advancement of legislation that equates the status and benefits of those who refrain from military service with the status and benefits of those who serve in the IDF. The faction will support only a law that establishes Torah study as a foundational value without comparing yeshiva students to IDF servicemembers.”

The discussions about softening the legislation come after a turbulent week in which the charedi parties exerted heavy pressure on the coalition to promote the bill. Aryeh Deri, chairman of Shas, presented the coalition with an ultimatum: if the Basic Law: Torah Study is not passed on Wednesday, no other legislation will move forward.

“Precisely at this time, when the people of Israel need more merits to ensure success in the campaign against our enemies, we demand that the Basic Law: Torah Study be brought to a vote this very week as a condition for supporting any other legislation,” Deri declared during a Shas faction meeting.

As previously reported, Deri was the first to raise the demand to promote the bill last week following a faction meeting. Only after his demand did the other charedi factions begin actively promoting the legislation, which is technically sponsored by Degel HaTorah.

The chairman of Degel HaTorah, Moshe Gafni, stated: “The Basic Law: Torah Study has been placed on the agenda of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation. Following the instructions of our revered Torah sages, I was called upon to submit and promote it.”