What Israel's parties say about religion and state
Each party's published position on religion and state, from its own platform, website and statements, in ballot list order. 2 of 38 lists so far.
B'Yachad List 1, רק
The list has two pages on this: one on religion and state, and one on its Service Law.78
The Service Law, which the site calls "Bennett's Service Law," follows one rule: whoever serves receives from the state, whoever doesn't, doesn't.8 It would cancel yeshiva student stipends, coalition funds, National Insurance and property tax discounts, and daycare subsidies for people who neither serve nor work.8 The religion and state plan adds that any framework with exemption quotas is rejected.7 The site says the Service Law's benefits cost 8.8 billion shekels, paid for by those cuts and by closing ministries, without adding to the deficit.8 The apartment benefit is costed separately: the Service Law landing page says it would come from the state selling land to reservists at a discount, not from the budget.9
On schools, the rule is "100 percent core or 0 percent funding."7 The full education plan says funding would stop for new pupils in Haredi schools outside the state-Haredi stream, aiming for seventy percent of Haredi pupils in that stream within four years and all of them within eight.11
On Shabbat, each local authority would decide for itself whether to run public transport.7 They'd legislate a civil union registered at the Interior Ministry, with the full rights of marriage, regardless of religion, gender or sexual orientation.7 Yesh Atid's list uses the words "civil marriage."32 Conversion powers would go back to community rabbis, with the standard kept Orthodox.7 The plan says, "The Chief Rabbinate is not abolished. Its exclusivity is."7
Yashar List 2, דרך
The flagship is a law called "State service for all."5 Every young person would be summoned by an independent national service directorate. The IDF picks first, and everyone else goes to civil or national service.5 The plan keeps up to 3 percent of each yearly cohort for one-year deferrals for Torah study, chosen by open screening, and those people would still do basic training.5 People who aren't exempt and don't serve, whom the plan calls "draft evaders and deserters," would lose a long list of state benefits, including support for Torah institutions, and could face license revocation, a ban on leaving the country, and criminal charges.5
Elsewhere, the immigration plan commits to civil unions, "respectful" conversion processes, and letting local authorities and communities shape Shabbat in public space.12 The unlinked LGBTQ plan says civil union registration would run "in parallel to, and not instead of" the religious courts and be open to same-sex couples.21
Still to come
Sharshar, Partnership for Everyone, Pirate Party, Amcha Yisrael, Israel First, Garden of Eden, Women's Voice, Together We Will Succeed, Yisrael Beiteinu, Just Law, Shema, Otzma Yehudit, New Order, The Reservists and the Economic Party, The Democrats, Ra'am, Shas, Haredi Public, Me and You, Brit Olam, Tikun, The Biblical Bloc, Betach, Orot HaShachar, Personal Security, Black Color, Likud, Blue and White, Religious Zionism-Zehut, Achi Movement, Tzomet Beit Israel, Derech Hazon VeTekuma, The Joint List, HaKahal, United Torah Judaism, Noam L'Yisrael.
