Far-right party pushes new bill to ban the adhan in Green Line mosques

A far-right Israeli party announced on Sunday that it is pushing a new bill in the Knesset (parliament) to ban the adhan via loudspeakers in mosques within the Green Line (Palestinian territories occupied in 1948).

After about eight years since the last attempt to restrict the sound of the adhan through legislation, the Otzma Yehudit party (led by the extremist Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir) announced this morning (Sunday) that it is pushing a new initiative to ban loudspeakers in mosques.

The bill stipulates that "no sound amplification system shall be installed or operated in a mosque without a permit, and the party's proposal is accompanied by a commitment to tighten supervision and impose hefty fines".

The proposal "will be based on a ban on operating loudspeakers, while considering granting the permit according to criteria including the intensity of the noise, the means available to reduce it, the location of the mosque, its proximity to residential areas, and the impact of the sound on residents".

"In case of violation of the rules, the police officer has the right to stop the operation immediately", and if the violation continues, it is possible to "confiscate the loudspeakers and impose a fine of up to tens of thousands of shekels".

Ben-Gvir and Knesset member from his party, Tzvika Fogel, confirmed that "the current bill defines a regulated licensing and supervision mechanism, places clear personal responsibility on the operating party, and greatly enhances enforcement powers and penalties".

Ben-Gvir said: "In many places, the sound of the muezzin is considered unreasonable noise that harms the quality of life and the health of residents (Jews), and it is a phenomenon that cannot be accepted. The Israeli police will act firmly to enforce the law, and the bill provides them with the tools they lacked".

The explanatory note for the bill states: "Noise is considered a health hazard, and despite previous enforcement operations, there is currently no law that provides sufficient tools to deal with this phenomenon".

It added: "Therefore, it is proposed to establish a clear system that includes an automatic ban, an explicit permit, appointing a person responsible for the operation, and imposing large fines. The bill aims to restore calm and improve the quality of life for residents, while ensuring effective and clear enforcement".

The bill includes deterrent fines: Installing or operating loudspeakers without a license exposes one to a fine of 50,000 Israeli shekels (15.7 thousand dollars).

It indicated that operating loudspeakers "in violation of the license conditions exposes one to a fine of 10,000 shekels (3.14 thousand dollars). These fines are transferred to a dedicated confiscation fund, used, according to the bill, for general purposes".

Amid widespread protests in Arab cities and towns in Israel, the Israeli Knesset approved in March 2017 a preliminary reading of a bill submitted by the far-right to ban the adhan during nighttime hours in mosques in occupied Jerusalem and Palestinian towns within the Green Line, but it was not ultimately passed.

The current Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu is the most extreme in Israel's history, according to Hebrew media, and statements by foreign leaders and politicians including former US President Joe Biden.