As Israel approaches a critical election period, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition has advanced legislation allowing universities to expand gender-segregated academic programs.
The move has drawn controversy, with critics arguing that it represents a growing role for religious politics in Israel’s higher education system.
The move largely aims to placate the Zionist state’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish population, also known as Haredi communities in the Israeli context, which have long championed gender-segregated education across Israel.
The timing of the legislation is closely linked to Israel’s political uncertainty. With parliament set to dissolve on Friday ahead of elections, Haredi parties sought to secure the expansion of gender-segregated education before a possible change in government that could reduce their political influence.
According to recent polls, opposition parties are ahead of the Netanyahu-led alliance.
Netanyahu’s fragile coalition, described as the most extreme-dominated government in Israeli history, has relied heavily on support from Haredi parties, including United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and Shas, as well as religious-nationalist parties such as Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit.
These groups have historically supported gender segregation, suggesting that women, especially those with religious convictions, limited opportunities within the current secular education system, could benefit from greater space to pursue their ideological beliefs.
Limor Son Har-Melech, a lawmaker from Otzma Yehudit, who made headlines after being pictured with her husband at an apparent home party, holding a rope and a mock hanging noose to show her advocacy for a unique discriminatory death penalty law targeting only Palestinians, not Jews, is among the advocates of gender-segregated classes.
Earlier this year, the Knesset also enacted the Death Penalty for Terrorists Law, which mandated hanging as the standard procedure for Palestinians convicted in military courts for alleged deadly attacks classified as terrorism.
She framed her advocacy for gender segregation in Israeli education on the claim that the law will “advance women from sectors that have not received the opportunities they deserve,” referring to Orthodox Jewish women.
Concerns over secular education
Opponents of the legislation, including opposition parties, university representatives and civil society groups, argue that gender-segregated academic programmes do not necessarily expand opportunities for women and could instead reinforce divisions within Israel’s higher education system.
The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), a Jewish civil rights organisation focused on gender equality and social justice in the United States and Israel, has criticised the legislation, warning that it could undermine principles of equality and create a precedent for greater religious influence over academic institutions.
“Legislation to segregate academic programs at Israeli universities is being presented as a way to expand access to higher education, yet we know it will do precisely the opposite. In reality, it risks embedding gender discrimination into Israel’s institutions and rolling back decades of progress toward equality,” said Kalela Lancaster, the group’s Israel director.
“True inclusion can never entail discrimination. Higher education should expand opportunity without creating separate standards for women and men — or limiting who can teach, lead, and participate fully in academic life,” she added.
Expansion of ultra-Orthodox legislation
The passage of the gender-segregation legislation comes amid a broader debate in Israel over the role of Haredi parties in shaping public policy.
Earlier this week, ultra-Orthodox lawmakers also advanced legislation concerning the Chief Rabbinate’s authority over kosher certification, which determines which food establishments can officially receive kosher status in Israel.
Another major point of tension remains the issue of military service exemptions for Haredi men. While military service is generally mandatory in Israel, many ultra-Orthodox men studying in yeshivas have historically received exemptions.
Secular and other non-Haredi groups have long argued that military obligations should apply equally to all citizens, while Haredi parties maintain that religious study is an essential contribution and that yeshiva students should be exempt.
On Monday, Israel’s military chief, General Eyal Zamir, issued a statement saying he opposed the bill's implementation “completely and unequivocally”.
Orthodox Jewish groups also advocate segregation in various areas of public life, from streets to beaches.
Most recently, Bnei Brak became the first Israeli location with gender-segregated streets after its municipality decided to designate some sections of the city as segregated this week.
The municipality cited a letter from the city’s rabbis as the basis for the recent segregation decision on the streets, adding that other streets might also face similar measures in the future
