Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government used the final days of Parliament before Israel’s fall election to adopt contentious laws that critics say undermine judicial oversight, benefit friendly media outlets and aim to shore up support from ultra-Orthodox political allies.
The new legislation could extend the wholesale exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox men enrolled in religious seminaries, at a time when the military is chronically short of conscripts and reserve soldiers.
With Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition trailing in the polls, analysts said the new legislation appears aimed at cementing his alliances in case he gets another shot at forming a government — either this time or in a future round.
“Netanyahu is playing a long game by keeping all his coalition parties together,” said Reuven Hazan, a professor of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “He is making them realize he is the only one capable of giving them what they need.”
Mr. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has presided over one of the most fraught periods in the country’s history.
His latest term started with huge antigovernment protests against the plan for a judicial overhaul aimed at limiting the authority of the Supreme Court and weakening legal oversight of the government — steps that critics call antidemocratic.
The plan was temporarily suspended after the government and military were caught off-guard by the deadly Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited a devastating two-year war in Gaza. The conflicts spread to Lebanon and Iran.
Mr. Netanyahu’s promise of total victory was not fulfilled on any front, yet his government will be Israel’s first since 1988 to run its full four-year term, with the election set to take place on the last day allowed by law. Most governments have collapsed over disagreements, triggering early elections.
This was the final week for the government to enact its controversial legislation. On Friday, the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, goes into recess until after the national election scheduled for Oct. 27.
Here are some of the most divisive pieces of legislation approved this week.
Weakening the role of the attorney general
Israel’s attorney general serves as both the chief legal adviser to the government and the head of public prosecution. The attorney general is chosen by the government, from among candidates approved by a panel of experts.
Until now, the attorney general’s legal opinions have been binding on the government, acting as a crucial, independent check on executive power.
On Wednesday, Parliament passed a measure diluting the authority of the attorney general’s office, set to take effect in January 2027. Under the law, the government will no longer be required to treat the attorney general’s written legal opinions as legally binding, except in criminal matters.
Mr. Netanyahu’s government has been in constant conflict with the current attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, who was appointed in 2022 under a previous government. Plans to weaken the office have been at the center of the current government’s aspirations to curb judicial authority and give more power to elected politicians.
The legislation also changes the rules for the government’s legal representation in court, giving the government the authority to determine its own legal position. If the attorney general declines to present that position or does not do so to the satisfaction of the relevant minister, the government may appoint alternative legal counsel, barring the attorney general from presenting an independent position before the judges.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel described it as “the most far-reaching step yet in the government’s continued effort to weaken independent legal oversight.” The association is one of the groups that has already petitioned the high court to annul the new law.
“This move gives the government the power to decide for itself when and how to apply the law,” Noa Sattath, the executive director of the rights group, said in a statement.
A special status for Torah students
Rather than a formal written constitution, Israel has a set of more than a dozen Basic Laws that govern its overall character and citizens’ rights. On Monday, the Knesset passed a new basic law enshrining Torah study as “a fundamental value in the heritage of the Jewish people and the state of Israel.”
Ultra-Orthodox politicians championed that basic law, the first pertaining to a specific sector of Israeli society. They view it as a counterweight to Supreme Court rulings dictating that ultra-Orthodox men must do compulsory military service like all other Jewish 18-year-olds, in line with the principle of equality, and believe it will strengthen their case against any forced enlistment.
The law comes against the backdrop of widespread public resentment over the decades-old draft exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox, as the military is stretched thin.
Brig. Gen. Shay Tayeb, of the military’s personnel directorate, told a Knesset committee this week that the army’s array of regular forces “is reaching the limit of its capacity, and that of the reserve force may reach even beyond that. In some units, it may even collapse.”
Suspending penalties for draft evasion
The Knesset also passed an amendment that freezes for four months the arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers who received and ignored call-up notices issued in recent years, since the court ruled that the military must start conscripting them.
The freeze applies to those enrolled in full-time study in religious seminaries, and will also extend to cover the summer break and the period of the Jewish High Holy Days in the fall. It comes “out of recognition of the importance of Torah study,” the amendment states.
On Wednesday, just a day after the law was passed, Israel’s high court issued an order temporarily blocking it from taking effect, following petitions from opposition parties and government watchdog groups.
“The court is telling the government what we all knew — deserting from the Israel Defense Forces during wartime is against the law,” said Yair Lapid, the centrist leader of the opposition and one of the petitioners.
Yet analysts say a fight with the court also benefits Mr. Netanyahu and his political allies. Mr. Hazan said it gives them “fodder” for their election campaign promise to curb the overreach of unelected judges.
Underscoring what many Israelis see as the inequality inherent in these legislative moves, the Knesset is expected to approve another amendment later Thursday extending compulsory service for those who are not exempted from 30 months to 32 months, to try to address the personnel shortfall.
Government influence over broadcast media
A media law that passed on Thursday is intended to remove regulatory barriers for small broadcasters and increase competition, according to the government. Critics say it will disadvantage the mainstream commercial television channels and benefit smaller, pro-Netanyahu outlets like Channel 14.
The Union of Journalists in Israel issued a statement after the vote denouncing what it called “a shameful, dangerous and antidemocratic law.”
Under the law, the government will fund and launch an app streaming television and sports broadcasts free of charge. The app will not work on the Sabbath or religious holidays, at the insistence of the ultra-Orthodox coalition members.
Mr. Netanyahu has long criticized the mainstream media in Israel, accusing it of left-wing elitism. He is currently on trial on corruption charges that include accusations that he traded regulatory favors for sympathetic media coverage of himself and his family.
Heedo Abu Laban and Lia Lapidot contributed reporting.
