The Student Rights Law (Amendment No. 12), 2026, enacted on July 16, 2026, expanded the circumstances in which Israeli colleges and universities may offer gender-separated academic programs. The Knesset approved the amendment by 52 votes to 43. Sponsored by Otzma Yehudit legislator Limor Son Har-Melech, the law permits the Council for Higher Education to approve separate programs for men and women at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. It authorizes, rather than requires, institutions to establish such programs.
The Student Rights Law generally prohibits discrimination against applicants and students on grounds including sex. It nevertheless provides that institutions or academic programs separated between men and women for religious reasons are not necessarily considered discriminatory. Before the 2026 amendment, the Council for Higher Education used this exception primarily to authorize designated undergraduate programs intended to make higher education accessible to Haredi students who would otherwise be unlikely to attend mixed-gender institutions.
The legality of that framework was considered by the Supreme Court in HCJ 8010/16 and related petitions, decided in July 2021. All five justices agreed that gender separation in higher education infringed the right to equality. A 3-2 majority nevertheless upheld the Council for Higher Education’s program because it was narrowly designed to increase Haredi participation in higher education and employment. The Court emphasized several safeguards: the programs were directed specifically at Haredi students, generally limited to undergraduate degrees, and restricted to classrooms rather than libraries, cafeterias, and other common areas. The Court also unanimously prohibited institutions from excluding female lecturers from teaching male students.
The 2026 law changes several elements of that arrangement. Most significantly, it permits gender-separated programs for advanced degrees, including master’s and doctoral programs. It also does not expressly limit eligibility to Haredi students, instead referring more broadly to separation instituted “for religious reasons.” The Council for Higher Education may therefore approve separate tracks for other religious groups or students who seek such an arrangement. The law also potentially allows separation in a broader range of academic disciplines, subject to the Council’s approval.
The law’s application outside classrooms became particularly controversial. In institutions that otherwise operate on a mixed-gender basis, separation remains limited to classrooms, and a proposal explicitly allowing broader separation throughout mixed campuses was rejected. The final law, however, does not apply the classroom-only restriction to what it calls “separate institutions.” Because that term is not clearly defined, critics interpreted the exception as allowing such institutions to separate men and women in libraries, cafeterias, corridors, courtyards and other shared campus facilities. The practical scope of the exception will depend on regulations issued by the Council for Higher Education and its interpretation by the courts.
Supporters described the legislation as an accommodation of religious freedom and a means of increasing access to higher education. Son Har-Melech argued that many religious women were unable to pursue advanced degrees under the existing framework. He said the law would provide opportunities to communities that had previously been excluded. Education Committee chairman Zvi Sukkot said it would expand freedom of choice. Supporters also emphasized that students would not be compelled to enroll in separated programs and institutions would not be required to offer them.
Opponents argued that the law changed gender separation from a narrow exception intended to help Haredi students enter undergraduate education into a potentially permanent and much broader academic system. The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities warned that separation in research degrees could undermine academic standards, exposure to differing perspectives and the collaborative nature of advanced research. Critics also said women could receive lower-quality programs or face reduced professional opportunities if female lecturers, teaching assistants and researchers were excluded from male tracks. Medical faculty representatives warned that separate professional training could impair students’ preparation to work with both men and women. The Israel Democracy Institute raised similar concerns regarding equality, academic quality and women’s freedom of occupation.
Several hours after the law passed, six Haredi women and 10 academics, led by Tel Aviv University law professor Yofi Tirosh, petitioned the High Court of Justice. They asked the Court to invalidate the amendment in whole or in part or to interpret it as remaining subject to the safeguards established in the 2021 judgment. The petitioners argued that the law unjustifiably expanded an arrangement the Court had upheld only as a limited exception, failed to protect female lecturers, opened separated programs to populations beyond the Haredi community and could allow separation to spread into public campus spaces. They also alleged that the Council for Higher Education had not adequately enforced the previous restrictions. The Council responded that it required institutions to prevent discrimination against female lecturers and maintained oversight and complaint procedures. As of July 20, 2026, no interim or final ruling on the new petition was publicly available in the sources reviewed.
Sources: “HCJ 8010/16, Barzon v. State of Israel,” Israel Supreme Court, (July 12, 2021). [Hebrew]
Anat Thon Ashkenazy, Edna Harel Fisher, “The Law Expanding Gender Separation in Higher Education and Its Implications,” IDI, (July 15, 2026).
“Student Rights Law (Amendment No. 12), 2026,” Knesset, (July 16, 2026). [Hebrew]
“Knesset Plenum Approves Separate Academic Study Tracks for Women and Men in Advanced Degree Programs,” Knesset, (July 16, 2026).
Ariela Karmel, “Law Expanding Gender Segregation in Academia Passes; Sponsor Claims It Will Advance Women,” Times of Israel, (July 16, 2026).
Nahum Perry, “Knesset Approves Gender-Segregated Graduate Degree Programs in Late-Night Vote,” Jerusalem Post, (July 16, 2026).
Sarah Ben-Nun, “Haredi Women, Academics File Petition Against Israel’s New Gender-Segregated Education Law,” Jerusalem Post, (July 16, 2026).
“The Law Expanding Gender Segregation in Higher Education: A Grave Historic Mistake,” Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, (July 16, 2026).