Tag Archives: Knesset

TIME Magazine reports: Israel’s parliament approved a controversial piece of legislation on Thursday that defines the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people but which critics warn sidelines minorities. The government says the bill, passed in the early morning hours, will merely enshrine into law Israel’s existing character. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called its passage a “historic moment in …

Haaretz reports: A Knesset committee on Wednesday approved a draft law sponsored by the government itself, allowing single women who cannot conceive to obtain surrogacy services in order to build a family. With the approval of the Knesset’s Labor, Welfare and Health Committee, The bill can now proceed to its second and third readings into law. The committee rejected propositions …

Newsweek reports: Vice President Mike Pence’s speech to the Israeli parliament was disrupted Monday after Arab lawmakers held up placards and engaged in a brawl with security staff in a protest against the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The lawmakers from the Arab Joint List, Israel’s third-biggest party, were forcibly ejected from the speech that they had earlier …

Ynet News reports: Likud’s first openly-gay MK Amir Ohana, who entered the Knesset following the retirement of minister Silvan Shalom, was sworn in on Monday, while members of ultra-Orthodox faction United Torah Judaism decided to leave the plenum in protest. “I am here with everything that I am – the things I chose to be and those I didn’t – …

Via the Jerusalem Post: The Knesset voted down two bills regarding civil unions and marriage on Wednesday with a majority vote of 50 to 39 for each bill. The first bill, proposed by Yesh Atid MK Aliza Lavie sought to create civil unions, an alternative for those who could not have their weddings officiated by the rabbinate or other religious …

Via the Jerusalem Post: The Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Monday voted down a bill that would make it illegal to discriminate against LGBT people in any way. The legislation, proposed by MK Ofer Shelah (Yesh Atid), would make any law prohibiting discrimination based on gender, age, country of origin, etc. apply to LGBT people as well. “Only Gila Gamliel …

Openly gay Knesset member Nitzan Horowitz has announced his intent to run for mayor of Tel Aviv. Horowitz, a second-term MK and former journalist for Channel 10 News, will be challenging former Labor member Ron Huldai, who has served as Tel Aviv’s mayor since 1998. If he wins, Horowitz (49) would be Tel Aviv’s first openly gay mayor, and the …