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Religion and state: civil marriage

Should Israel introduce a civil marriage track?

A civil marriage track
Every citizen should be able to marry in their own country without depending on a religious establishment
Marriage under religious law
Marriage and divorce should remain under religious law, to preserve the unity of the people and prevent lineage problems for future generations

The votes here are rejections of opposition bills in a preliminary reading, so they mainly record the bloc. The placement rests mainly on platforms and statements. Among the Arab lists the votes were split.

"Said" is the platform, and statements and posts by the list's candidates. "Did" is plenum votes, bills and recorded acts in the 25th Knesset. The placement rests on all the evidence together. The votes are the outgoing Knesset's, not the 26th's.

BeYachad

Firm position: A civil marriage track· Partial evidence

Said

  • 1 platform section · 1 toward "A civil marriage track"
  • 1 tweet · 1 toward "A civil marriage track"
נחוקק את חוק ברית הזוגיות האזרחית וניצור מסלול אזרחי מלא ונגיש לרישום זוגיות במרשם ממלכתי במשרד הפנים, עם מלוא הזכויות והחובות של זוגות נשואים וללא תלות בדת, מגדר או נטייה מינית.

Translation: “We will legislate the Civil Union Law and create a full and accessible civil track for registering partnerships in a state registry at the Interior Ministry, with all the rights and obligations of married couples and regardless of religion, gender or sexual orientation.”

BeYachad platformSource ↗

Did

  • 2 plenum votes · 2 toward "A civil marriage track"
  • 33 bills on the issue · 1 toward "A civil marriage track" · 1 context only

21 of the list's MKs voted: 21 for, 0 against. For = to establish a system of civil marriage and civil union independent of the religions

December 24, 2025The vote

The parliamentary record here is that of the Yesh Atid faction in the 25th Knesset. Naftali Bennett's party did not sit in the 25th Knesset, so part of the current list is not represented in the voting data.

All sources (6)

BeYachad

Firm position: A civil marriage track

Partial evidence
What it rests on

Toward "A civil marriage track"Toward "Marriage under religious law"

Note: The parliamentary record here is that of the Yesh Atid faction in the 25th Knesset. Naftali Bennett's party did not sit in the 25th Knesset, so part of the current list is not represented in the voting data.

2 plenum votes · Official record
  • Toward: A civil marriage trackDecember 24, 2025

    21 of the list's MKs voted: 21 for, 0 against. For = to establish a system of civil marriage and civil union independent of the religions

  • Toward: A civil marriage trackJune 7, 2023

    22 of the list's MKs voted: 22 for, 0 against. A vote for the proposal allows citizens to marry through a civil system independent of the religious establishment.

The Democrats

Leaning toward A civil marriage track· Partial evidence

Said

  • 1 platform section · 1 toward "A civil marriage track"
נחוקק חוק נישואין אזרחיים ונאפשר חופש בחירה בנישואין וגירושין.

Translation: “We will legislate a civil marriage law and allow freedom of choice in marriage and divorce.”

The Democrats platformSource ↗

Did

  • 1 plenum vote · 1 toward "A civil marriage track"
  • 20 bills on the issue · Context only, did not move the placement

3 of the list's MKs voted: 3 for, 0 against. For = to establish a system of civil marriage and civil union independent of the religions

December 24, 2025The vote

The parliamentary record here is that of the Labor faction in the 25th Knesset. Meretz did not sit in the 25th Knesset, so part of the current list is not represented in the voting data.

All sources (3)

The Democrats

Leaning toward A civil marriage track

Partial evidence
What it rests on

Toward "A civil marriage track"Toward "Marriage under religious law"

Note: The parliamentary record here is that of the Labor faction in the 25th Knesset. Meretz did not sit in the 25th Knesset, so part of the current list is not represented in the voting data.

1 plenum vote · Official record
  • Toward: A civil marriage trackDecember 24, 2025

    3 of the list's MKs voted: 3 for, 0 against. For = to establish a system of civil marriage and civil union independent of the religions

Likud

Not enough evidence to place it

Said

We found no platform text, statement or post by the list on this subject.

Did

  • 3 plenum votes · 1 toward "A civil marriage track" · 2 toward "Marriage under religious law"
  • 21 bills on the issue · Context only, did not move the placement

Amir Ohana voted against the majority of their faction in this vote.

December 24, 2025The vote

All sources (4)

Likud

No documented position found

What it rests on

Toward "A civil marriage track"Toward "Marriage under religious law"

The only votes found are expected rejections of the rival bloc's bills in a preliminary reading, which do not indicate a position. Likud has not published a platform since 1999, so there is no platform to check here. The documented statements and tweets of the list's candidates were checked, and no passage taking an explicit position on this question was found in them. Three reports on Knesset Speaker Ohana's vote for the civil marriage bill on December 24, 2025, and three reports on the cancellation of the kashrut reform on July 15, 2026, were read in full. All of them quote United Torah Judaism, Degel HaTorah, Shas, Noam and Religious Zionism, and none of them contains any statement of position by a Likud representative on this question.

3 plenum votes · Official record

The Reservists – The Economic Party

Not enough evidence to place it

Said

We found no platform text, statement or post by the list on this subject.

Did

The list did not sit in the 25th Knesset, so it has no votes to check.

Religious Zionism–Zehut

Not enough evidence to place it

Said

We found no platform text, statement or post by the list on this subject.

Did

  • 2 plenum votes · 2 toward "Marriage under religious law"
  • 4 bills on the issue · Context only, did not move the placement

The current list is a technical bloc of Religious Zionism with Zehut, led by Moshe Feiglin, which did not sit in the 25th Knesset. The voting data reflects Religious Zionism only.

All sources (3)

Religious Zionism–Zehut

No documented position found

What it rests on

Toward "A civil marriage track"Toward "Marriage under religious law"

The only votes found are expected rejections of the rival bloc's bills in a preliminary reading, which do not indicate a position. The platform description and the documented statements and tweets of the list's candidates were also checked, and no passage taking an explicit position on this question was found in them.

Note: The current list is a technical bloc of Religious Zionism with Zehut, led by Moshe Feiglin, which did not sit in the 25th Knesset. The voting data reflects Religious Zionism only.

2 plenum votes · Official record
  • Toward: Marriage under religious lawRoutine rejection, low weightDecember 24, 2025

    7 of the list's MKs voted: 0 for, 7 against. For = to establish a system of civil marriage and civil union independent of the religions

  • Toward: Marriage under religious lawRoutine rejection, low weightJune 7, 2023

    5 of the list's MKs voted: 0 for, 5 against. A vote for the proposal allows citizens to marry through a civil system independent of the religious establishment.

Joint List

Not enough evidence to place it

Said

We found no platform text, statement or post by the list on this subject.

Did

  • 7 bills on the issue · Context only, did not move the placement

The parliamentary record here is that of the Hadash–Ta'al faction in the 25th Knesset only. Balad did not sit in the 25th Knesset, so part of the current list is not represented in the voting data.

All sources (1)

Joint List

No documented position found

What it rests on

Toward "A civil marriage track"Toward "Marriage under religious law"

No vote by the list was found in any of the votes identified on this issue. The Joint List, in its reconstituted form, has not published a platform for the 2026 election, and the platform link on its website leads to the home page. The documented statements and tweets of the list's candidates were checked, and no passage taking an explicit position on this question was found in them.

Note: The parliamentary record here is that of the Hadash–Ta'al faction in the 25th Knesset only. Balad did not sit in the 25th Knesset, so part of the current list is not represented in the voting data.

7 bills on the issue · Official record
  • Context only

    The list's MKs filed 7 bills on this subject, 1.1% of the 618 bills they filed in the 25th Knesset. Among them: Commemoration of the Victims of the Tantura Massacre Bill, 2022; Penal Law (Amendment – Trafficking in Persons for the Purpose of Marriage) Bill, 2022; Training for Professionals on Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse Bill, 2023.

United Torah Judaism

Leaning toward Marriage under religious law· Weak evidence

Said

  • 1 statement in the media · 1 toward "Marriage under religious law"
אמיר אוחנה עשה מעשה שלא ייעשה ותמך בחוק נישואים אזרחיים של האופוזיציה

Translation: “Amir Ohana did a deed that ought not to be done and supported the opposition's civil marriage law”

DavarDecember 24, 2025Source ↗

Did

  • 2 plenum votes · 2 toward "Marriage under religious law"
  • 8 bills on the issue · Context only, did not move the placement
All sources (4)

United Torah Judaism

Leaning toward Marriage under religious law

Weak evidence
What it rests on

Toward "A civil marriage track"Toward "Marriage under religious law"

2 plenum votes · Official record
  • Toward: Marriage under religious lawRoutine rejection, low weightDecember 24, 2025

    4 of the list's MKs voted: 0 for, 4 against. For = to establish a system of civil marriage and civil union independent of the religions

  • Toward: Marriage under religious lawRoutine rejection, low weightJune 7, 2023

    6 of the list's MKs voted: 0 for, 6 against. A vote for the proposal allows citizens to marry through a civil system independent of the religious establishment.

Yashar!

Leaning toward A civil marriage track· Partial evidence

Said

  • 1 platform section · 1 toward "A civil marriage track"
נפעל למיסוד זוגיות אזרחית בישראל, נקדם תהליכי גיור מכבדים וכן קבורת נפגעי פעולות איבה כמקובל בצה"ל.

Translation: “We will act to institutionalize civil partnership in Israel, advance respectful conversion processes, and burial of victims of hostile acts as is customary in the IDF.”

Yashar! platformSource ↗

Did

  • 2 votes by the list's candidates in the outgoing Knesset · 2 toward "A civil marriage track"

2 of the list's candidates who served in the 25th Knesset voted: 2 for, 0 against. For = to establish a system of civil marriage and civil union independent of the religions

December 24, 2025The vote

All sources (3)

Yashar!

Leaning toward A civil marriage track

Partial evidence

The votes here are the personal votes of the list's candidates who served in the 25th Knesset, not votes by the list.

What it rests on

Toward "A civil marriage track"Toward "Marriage under religious law"

2 votes by the list's candidates in the outgoing Knesset · Official record
  • Toward: A civil marriage trackDecember 24, 2025

    2 of the list's candidates who served in the 25th Knesset voted: 2 for, 0 against. For = to establish a system of civil marriage and civil union independent of the religions

  • Toward: A civil marriage trackJune 7, 2023

    3 of the list's candidates who served in the 25th Knesset voted: 3 for, 0 against. A vote for the proposal allows citizens to marry through a civil system independent of the religious establishment.

Yisrael Beytenu

Firm position: A civil marriage track· Partial evidence

Said

  • 1 platform section · 1 toward "A civil marriage track"
מתן אפשרות לנישואין ולגירושין אזרחיים.

Translation: “Enabling civil marriage and divorce.”

Yisrael Beytenu platformSource ↗

Did

  • 2 plenum votes · 2 toward "A civil marriage track"
  • 11 bills on the issue · 1 toward "A civil marriage track" · 1 context only

5 of the list's MKs voted: 5 for, 0 against. For = to establish a system of civil marriage and civil union independent of the religions

December 24, 2025The vote

All sources (5)

Yisrael Beytenu

Firm position: A civil marriage track

Partial evidence
What it rests on

Toward "A civil marriage track"Toward "Marriage under religious law"

2 plenum votes · Official record
  • Toward: A civil marriage trackDecember 24, 2025

    5 of the list's MKs voted: 5 for, 0 against. For = to establish a system of civil marriage and civil union independent of the religions

  • Toward: A civil marriage trackJune 7, 2023

    6 of the list's MKs voted: 6 for, 0 against. A vote for the proposal allows citizens to marry through a civil system independent of the religious establishment.

Otzma Yehudit

Not enough evidence to place it

Said

We found no platform text, statement or post by the list on this subject.

Did

  • 2 plenum votes · 2 toward "Marriage under religious law"
  • 6 bills on the issue · Context only, did not move the placement
All sources (3)

Otzma Yehudit

No documented position found

What it rests on

Toward "A civil marriage track"Toward "Marriage under religious law"

The only votes found are expected rejections of the rival bloc's bills in a preliminary reading, which do not indicate a position. The platform description and the documented statements and tweets of the list's candidates were also checked, and no passage taking an explicit position on this question was found in them.

2 plenum votes · Official record
  • Toward: Marriage under religious lawRoutine rejection, low weightDecember 24, 2025

    4 of the list's MKs voted: 0 for, 4 against. For = to establish a system of civil marriage and civil union independent of the religions

  • Toward: Marriage under religious lawRoutine rejection, low weightJune 7, 2023

    4 of the list's MKs voted: 0 for, 4 against. A vote for the proposal allows citizens to marry through a civil system independent of the religious establishment.

Amcha Yisrael

Not enough evidence to place it

Said

We found no platform text, statement or post by the list on this subject.

Did

The list did not sit in the 25th Knesset, so it has no votes to check.

Ra'am

Firm position: Marriage under religious law· Partial evidence

Said

We found no platform text, statement or post by the list on this subject.

Did

  • 1 plenum vote · 1 toward "Marriage under religious law"
  • 5 bills on the issue · Context only, did not move the placement

5 of the list's MKs voted: 0 for, 5 against. A vote for the proposal allows citizens to marry through a civil system independent of the religious establishment. The list voted against its bloc's line in this vote.

June 7, 2023The vote

All sources (2)

Ra'am

Firm position: Marriage under religious law

Partial evidence
What it rests on

Toward "A civil marriage track"Toward "Marriage under religious law"

1 plenum vote · Official record
  • Toward: Marriage under religious lawJune 7, 2023

    5 of the list's MKs voted: 0 for, 5 against. A vote for the proposal allows citizens to marry through a civil system independent of the religious establishment. The list voted against its bloc's line in this vote.

Shas

Leaning toward Marriage under religious law· Weak evidence

Said

  • 1 statement in the media · 1 toward "Marriage under religious law"
בעד החוק הפוגע במוסד הנישואין כדת משה וישראל, בניגוד מוחלט לעמדת הקואליציה

Translation: “In favor of the law that harms the institution of marriage according to the law of Moses and Israel, in complete contradiction to the coalition's position”

ynetDecember 24, 2025Source ↗

Did

  • 2 plenum votes · 2 toward "Marriage under religious law"
  • 11 bills on the issue · Context only, did not move the placement
All sources (4)

Shas

Leaning toward Marriage under religious law

Weak evidence
What it rests on

Toward "A civil marriage track"Toward "Marriage under religious law"

2 plenum votes · Official record
  • Toward: Marriage under religious lawRoutine rejection, low weightDecember 24, 2025

    6 of the list's MKs voted: 0 for, 6 against. For = to establish a system of civil marriage and civil union independent of the religions

  • Toward: Marriage under religious lawRoutine rejection, low weightJune 7, 2023

    10 of the list's MKs voted: 0 for, 10 against. A vote for the proposal allows citizens to marry through a civil system independent of the religious establishment.

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