07.20.2026 After a Turbulent Week, the Final Session of the 25th Knesset Comes to a Close The Knesset concluded its final session last week on a contentious note, following the passage of the controversial Communications Law and conscription legislation. A heated late-night confrontation over a party financing bill nearly forced the plenum to reconvene. At the last minute, lawmakers also approved bills commemorating Golda Meir and the October 7 massacre, and expanded legislation on sexual offenses against minors. By Davar
07.19.2026 Hundreds of Foreign Workers Attend Histadrut Appreciation Event: "You Are Our Ambassadors in Your Home Countries" Workers from Thailand China, India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines gathered at the Histadrut headquarters in Tel Aviv, where they were thanked for their contribution to Israel’s economy during the war. Senior Histadrut officials distributed informational materials in several languages and pledged to help participants exercise their rights in dealing with employer: "We will help you secure your rights, just as we do for Israeli workers." By Nizzan Zvi Cohen
07.19.2026 How Should the 2011 Protests Be Remembered? Fifteen Years Since the Tent Protests: Over the years, the largest social protest in Israel's history has been reduced to the political polarization and struggles that followed. But looking back through the lens of the present obscures what made it unique: its ability to unite diverse communities around a positive struggle for life itself. By Tal Kaspin
07.19.2026 Anchoring the Military Draft Exemption or a Symbolic Declaration The Knesset gave final approval to the Basic Law: Torah Study, a constitutional law that forms part of Israel's uncodified constitution. However, after several clauses were removed during the legislative process, legal officials are struggling to determine whether it creates a legal basis for military service exemptions and related benefits for yeshiva students, or whether it is purely declarative. By Noy Kogman
07.19.2026 Knesset Gives Final Approval: Mandatory Military Service Will Remain 32 Months and Will Not Be Shortened The Knesset plenum approved in second and third readings an amendment to the Defense Service Law, stipulating that the length of mandatory military service will not be shortened and will remain at 32 months. A total of 43 MKs voted in favor, 12 opposed, and one abstained. By Or Guetta
07.17.2026 Israel Passes Law Freezing Arrests of Ultra-Orthodox Draft Refusers: How It Works and Who Will Oversee It The temporary order approved by the Knesset suspends all proceedings against yeshiva students who refuse to enlist in the IDF. The law, which defines the powers of the Minister of Defense and the IDF within the mechanism governing exemptions from arrest, is expected to face petitions before the High Court of Justice. By Noy Kogman
