ISRAELI KNESSET ADVANCES BILL TO BAN MUSLIM CALL TO PRAYER OVER LOUDSPEAKERS

Thu 02 July 2026:

The Knesset on Wednesday approved a bill that seeks to ban the broadcasting of the Muslim call to prayer (adhan) through loudspeakers, according to Israeli media.

Israel Hayom daily reported that the Knesset approved the bill in its preliminary reading to tighten law enforcement against what it described as “mosque noise.”

The bill passed with 50 votes in favor and 36 against in the 120-member parliament, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

Introduced by Otzma Yehudit party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the bill was backed by the opposition Yisrael Beiteinu party of right-wing politician Avigdor Lieberman.

Similar legislation has been attempted in past government terms, receiving strong opposition from lawmakers in the Arab parties.

Ben-Gvir claimed that residents had suffered from excessive noise for years.

“For years and years, there has been lawlessness. Governance begins with noise,” he said.

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Opponents of the legislation have argued that it would infringe on freedom of religion and have condemned it as discriminatory.

Tel Aviv-Yafo Deputy Mayor Amir Bedran called the bill’s advancement “a worrying and dangerous move that directly harms freedom of religion and the fabric of shared life in Israel.”

“This is legislation driven by racist motives that targets an entire public as being harmful,” he said. “In Tel Aviv-Yafo, quality of life is measured by acceptance of the other and the different.”

MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash-Ta’al) also condemned the bill, saying, “The muezzin does not disturb their ears; it disturbs their racism.”

He added that the legislation seeks to silence “another people, another culture, another language, and another religion.”

Lawmakers from the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Sephardic Shas Party voted in favor of the legislation, following a recent boycott of coalition voting. The opposition party Yisrael Beytenu also stated it would vote in favor of the bill.

Under Israeli law, the bill must pass three additional readings before becoming law.

Banning the adhan through loudspeakers would effectively strip it of its practical purpose, as it serves to notify Muslims of prayer times rather than functioning merely as a ritual recited inside mosques.

According to Israel’s Channel 14, the proposed legislation stipulates that no sound system may be installed or operated in any mosque without explicit prior authorization.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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