Zain Khalil / Anadolu

An Israeli parliamentary committee approved on Sunday a bill to stop arresting Haredi men evading military service, paving the way for a vote in second and third readings, according to Hebrew media.

The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Security Committee approved a bill stipulating a special temporary order to freeze the detention of yeshiva students who evade military service.

It clarified that 'despite the legal opinion that clearly states the bill does not achieve balance but rather increases inequality, the governing coalition intends to move forward with its approval under the understandings reached with the Haredi parties.'

The bill is scheduled to be brought to a vote in the Knesset in second and third readings later this week, according to the same source.

The bill stipulates that its provisions will remain in effect until November 30 of this year, according to the same source.

However, the newspaper clarified that it will remain valid for six months, not just three months during the election period.

It said the reason is that Article 38 of the Basic Law: The Knesset stipulates that any law that expires within four months of the dissolution of the Knesset is automatically extended until the end of the first three months of the next Knesset term.

On his account on the American platform X, opposition party Yashar leader and former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot said in response to the committee's approval: 'The coalition of (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu discriminates between citizens in bearing the burden of military service.'

Eisenkot added: 'In Netanyahu's government, it pays to evade conscription. But in the government we will form, the country will greatly appreciate and respect those who serve and protect it.'

The governing coalition is preparing for a decisive legislative week considered the last before the dissolution of the Knesset and heading to general elections expected in October, according to the Hebrew Broadcasting Authority.

In addition to halting arrests of draft dodgers, the coalition intends to push key bills, including the Basic Law: Torah Study, which aims to enshrine Torah study as a 'core value in the State of Israel,' according to the same source.

At the beginning of July, the Israeli Knesset voted in first reading on the Basic Law: Torah Study, with a majority of 63 lawmakers in favor versus 53, granting 'Torah study a special constitutional status' and enhancing legal protection for students of Jewish religious schools.

Haredim make up about 13 percent of Israel's population of over 10 million, and they refuse to perform military service, claiming dedication to Torah study, believing that integration into secular society threatens their religious identity.

For decades, members of this community have managed to avoid conscription upon reaching age 18 by obtaining repeated deferments under the pretext of studying in yeshivas, until reaching the exemption age currently set at 26.

However, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled in June 2024 that Haredim must serve in the military and halted financial support for religious institutions whose students refuse conscription.