JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Knesset’s plenum passed on Monday the controversial legislation advanced by the charedi parties that will enshrine Torah study as a fundamental value in the country’s Basic Law. The bill passed in its final readings with 63 lawmakers in favor and 52 against.

Its passage comes after weeks of threats from haredi party leaders to boycott coalition voting and disrupt the legislative agenda in an attempt to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition to rapidly advance a series of charedi-backed bills.

The bill states that “Torah study is a fundamental value in the heritage of the Jewish people and in the State of Israel.” Israel does not have a constitution. Instead, it has a series of Knesset-legislated basic laws on various subjects that hold a high legal status.

As part of a compromise, the bill was significantly narrowed before being brought to the plenum. Rather than including broader provisions contained in the original draft, the revised version is limited to declaring that Torah study is a fundamental value of the State of Israel, but not explicitly equated to military service.

Despite the changes, legal officials have argued that the bill’s practical impact remains largely unchanged. During committee discussions, the deputy Attorney General said the legislation could still broaden the interpretive tools available to courts in future legal proceedings, even without the provision that was removed.

Yisrael Beiteinu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman called it “a law that betrays IDF soldiers.” He added, “In the next government, we will repeal this law, strengthen the IDF, and take care of those who serve, not those who evade service.”

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri welcomed the approval: “For the first time, the Jewish state recognizes the supreme value of the holy Torah and the status of those who study it.”

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel has filed a petition with the Supreme Court against the law, claiming that the law is intended to enshrine military service exemptions in a Basic Law and undermine the principle of equal burden-sharing.

The movement stated that it will work to have the law overturned and to ensure equal enforcement of the Defense Service Law.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid and a group of other opposition party leaders signed a letter ahead of the vote calling on coalition Knesset members to “act responsibly and not vote in favor of legislation that would severely harm the IDF during wartime, in defiance of the dramatic warning issued by the IDF chief of staff.”

“The shameful role of those who support the draft-evasion law will remain forever before the eyes of the citizens of Israel who serve in the military and participate in the workforce,” the letter said.