Journalist Dafna Liel (N12) reports that Shas will participate in the preliminary Knesset vote on the muezzin bill, while United Torah Judaism will abstain to avoid breaking an earlier commitment to Arab MKs. The bill is expected to pass its preliminary reading.
The muezzin bill, which would restrict the use of loudspeakers for mosque calls to prayer, is set for a preliminary Knesset vote this evening (Wednesday). According to Dafna Liel (N12), the Haredi parties have split their tactics: Shas will vote in favor, while United Torah Judaism will be absent from the plenum. The maneuver is designed to preserve a coalition arrangement with Arab MKs, who reportedly agreed to support the Basic Law: Torah Study in exchange for Haredi parties not advancing the muezzin legislation. UTJ's absence avoids breaking that commitment while allowing the bill to advance via Shas's votes plus expected support from Yisrael Beytenu and coalition members.
The bill's advancement follows weeks of coalition maneuvering. As The Zioneer reported, Arab MKs previously voted with Likud and Haredi factions on the Torah Study Basic Law, a move commentators described as part of a broader quid pro quo. Earlier Wednesday, Arab MKs had considered boycotting that vote entirely. The current split-vote strategy appears designed to navigate those cross-commitments without collapsing the coalition's legislative agenda.
What remains unclear is whether the bill will face opposition from within the coalition or from the opposition during the plenum debate. The preliminary vote is procedural; further readings would follow.
6 developments
Source and signal
- Internal intake