High Court Gives Israeli Government 3-Month Extension on New Draft Law

The High Court has extended the deadline for the government to come up with an amended law regarding the drafting of chareidi yeshivah students.

The Court granted a three-month extension Tuesday, from the original September deadline. The government had sought a seven-month extension, which would have lasted until the last day of the Knesset’s winter session, assuming that by that date the coalition would have succeeded in formulating a law that would be amenable to all its factions. However, the court only agreed to give the government until December 2, which is Erev Chanukah. Observers noted that the Knesset will be in recess for most of the three-month extension, leaving very little time for the passage of a new law.

The Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel had instructed its MKs to leave the coalition if an extension were not granted. Following Tuesday’s ruling, Agudah was expected to remain in the coalition for now.

In its application to the Court for an extension, submitted last month, the government had noted that “this is an unusual request, submitted as a last resort against the backdrop of a sensitive issue.”

The High Court had ruled last September that a version of the law, which had been supported by the chareidi parties, was unconstitutional, and gave a one-year deadline for passage of a new bill. But the Knesset term ended last month without passage of a new bill, and the new session is not slated to begin until the middle of October.