The Knesset has gone into recess until May 10, after a week in which a wide range of legislation was brought to the plenum and advanced ahead of the break.
It began its annual spring interval on Tuesday. During the break, the Knesset plenum can convene under certain circumstances.
However, the government will mostly hold committee meetings rather than its regular weekly plenum sessions to pass laws, which take place on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
With elections to be held no later than October, the upcoming summer session, slated for May 10, is the government’s last opportunity to pass legislation during its term.
Opposition lawmakers have sharply criticized the coalition for advancing controversial legislation unrelated to the war during Operation Roaring Lion.
Knesset eases requirements for unpaid leave during the war
One of the last bills the Knesset approved before the recess began eased the requirements for employees to take unpaid leave during the war.
The bill passed on Tuesday with 44 lawmakers in favor and 35 against.
Many employees across the country were placed on unpaid leave because their workplaces were closed or affected by the war.
The approved period for easing requirements is currently from February 28 to April 14. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has the authority to extend this period by order, provided that the extension does not exceed May 14.
As for the bills’ effects, they are meant to shorten the period required to qualify for unpaid leave benefits from 14 days to 10 days. Unpaid leave initiated by the employee, rather than the employer, will also be recognized for eligibility purposes.
The bill also proposes easing requirements for people with disabilities, spouses of reservists who served 90 days or more, spouses of wounded IDF soldiers, and spouses of victims of hostile acts since October 7.
This proposal is an amendment of the Special Grant Law for individuals aged 67 and above, entitling them to a special payment for those who were dismissed or placed on unpaid leave during Operation Roaring Lion.
Separately, a compensation framework for businesses also requires Knesset approval and is part of a series of broad measures advanced by the Finance Ministry to support businesses, employees, and nonprofit organizations affected by the war.
The 2026 state budget was also approved on Sunday in its final readings, averting a government collapse. Early elections would have been called by law if the budget had not passed.
Final reading passes death penalty for terrorists
The Knesset also passed a law mandating the death penalty for Arab terrorists in its final readings on Monday evening before the Knesset recess.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has pushed for death penalty legislation since the start of his tenure, repeatedly saying that its passage was a condition of his Otzma Yehudit Party’s coalition agreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Knesset committees held marathon sessions to advance the bill rapidly, with discussions continuing amid the war.
Other bills being debated during the war include the controversial communications reform bill, which proposes sweeping changes to the nation’s broadcasting sector, and a bill that seeks to split the attorney-general’s role into three separate positions amid the ongoing rift between the government and the judiciary.
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman MK Boaz Bismuth announced on Monday that the divisive haredi (ultra-Orthodox) conscription bill is set to be advanced again amid IDF staffing shortages.
At the start of Operation Roaring Lion, Netanyahu said that the draft bill would be “set aside” for the sake of national unity and would not be advanced during wartime.
Bismuth’s announcement came after IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir warned during a security cabinet meeting last Wednesday that the military was nearing its breaking point and could soon collapse due to a shortage of human resources.