Overview
- The Knesset approved a law that halts arrests and pauses prosecutions of many yeshiva students by a narrow majority in a vote held on Tuesday, granting temporary protection that extends into early 2027 as described in the bill.
- Supreme Court Justice Ofer Grosskopf issued a temporary injunction on Wednesday that prevents the law from taking effect and ordered the government to explain why the law should not be struck down before an expanded panel considers the petitions.
- Opposition parties Yisrael Beytenu and Yesh Atid filed immediate petitions challenging the law and Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel resigned from the government after voting against the measure.
- IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir publicly warned that the arrest freeze would produce mass exemptions and worsen a shortfall of recruits, and military and public criticism has intensified over equality and readiness concerns.
- The arrest freeze passed as part of a wider push that included a bill weakening the attorney general’s binding authority, a last‑minute coalition standoff over Haredi funding that was resolved by concessions, and resulting uncertainty about the coalition’s stability ahead of the October election.