Knesset backs bill to restrict mosque loudspeakers

Bill limiting the use of loudspeakers for calls to prayer passes first vote in the Knesset.

By World Israel News Staff

The Knesset on Wednesday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would require mosques to obtain permits for loudspeaker systems used to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer, advancing legislation supporters say is aimed at reducing excessive noise near residential areas.

The bill passed its preliminary reading by a vote of 50-36. It must still clear committee review and three additional Knesset readings before becoming law.

The proposal, sponsored by Otzma Yehudit MK Zvika Fogel, would bar the installation or operation of mosque public-address systems without a permit.

It would also allow police to enter a site where a violation has been reported in order to stop the noise, and would impose administrative fines ranging from NIS 10,000 to NIS 50,000 for violations.

Muezzins traditionally issue the call to prayer five times a day, including before dawn. In modern practice, mosques often broadcast the call through loudspeakers mounted on minarets.

Fogel defended the legislation during the Knesset debate, saying it was a matter of law enforcement and public order rather than religion.

“This is not a political issue,” Fogel told the plenum.

“Just as the law is enforced against event halls, private businesses, factories and houses of worship of every kind, so too must it be enforced equally here,” he said.

Fogel also argued that excessive loudspeaker volume harms residents.

“It is unacceptable that residents continue to suffer systematic violations of the law,” he said.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir welcomed the vote and said the measure was needed after years of lax enforcement.

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

Supporters of the bill say it is intended to address “unreasonable noise” and that similar restrictions on mosque loudspeakers exist in some Muslim-majority countries. The bill’s explanatory notes argue that loudspeaker systems in mosques can be a major source of noise pollution and say the problem affects health and quality of life.

The legislation has drawn strong opposition from Arab lawmakers.

Hadash-Ta’al Chairman Ayman Odeh accused the government of focusing on mosque loudspeakers while failing to curb violent crime in Arab communities.

“Three murders within an hour… another day under this government of blood,” Odeh said, accusing Ben-Gvir of abandoning public security.

Hadash-Ta’al MK Ofer Cassif charged that the bill was motivated by hostility toward Muslims.

“The muezzin does not disturb their ears; it disturbs their racism,” Cassif wrote on X.

Cassif said the legislation was aimed at silencing “another people, another culture, another language, and another religion.”

Tel Aviv-Yafo Deputy Mayor Amir Bedran also criticized the bill, calling its 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,” Bedran said. “In Tel Aviv-Yafo, quality of life is measured by acceptance of the other and the different.”

The bill received backing from coalition factions, including Shas, and from opposition party Yisrael Beytenu. Previous attempts to restrict mosque loudspeakers, often referred to in Israeli politics as the “muezzin bill,” have stalled after sharp opposition.

A similar debate took place in 2017, when the Knesset gave preliminary approval to proposals limiting amplified calls to prayer during nighttime hours or in residential areas.

The current proposal goes beyond earlier versions by creating a permit system, setting fines and giving police authority to intervene when violations are reported.

The bill will now move to committee, where lawmakers can amend it before it returns to the plenum for further votes.