A dispute inside the coalition over the proposed Basic Law: Torah Study ended Thursday with the removal of one of the clauses the Likud had sought to add to the legislation.

Shas and Degel HaTorah issued a joint statement opposing new sections that the Likud wanted inserted into the bill, saying they would not agree to change the law from its original version. But it later emerged that coalition chairman Ofir Katz reached an agreement with the Chareidi parties under which Section 2 of the bill will be removed.

According to the report, Section 2 is the clause that sets a “balancing of values” within the law. The dispute over the wording came after the government sought to make changes to the proposal following sharp criticism from Knesset legal adviser Adv. Sagit Afik.

Among the changes considered was an effort to sharpen the wording of the law in order to make clear that it is only a declarative law. Afik warned that the current wording could later serve as a basis for interpretations that would create significant consequences and benefits in different areas. During the discussion, she repeated that if lawmakers want to advance only a declarative law, its wording must clearly reflect that. She also warned that in its current form, the law raises more questions than answers, and that its ambiguity could lead in the future to practical interpretations in various areas, even if it does not directly grant an exemption from military service.

The move to change the bill drew strong opposition from Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni, who sent a message to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that United Torah Judaism would not agree to any change in the wording of the law.

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