History: The Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved today (Sunday) the bill by the Chair of the National Security Committee, MK Zvika Fogel, promoted with the backing of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, to regulate and tighten enforcement against noise from public address systems in mosques.
According to the proposal, operating a public address system in a mosque will require obtaining a permit, which will be examined, among other things, according to the intensity of the noise, the location of the mosque, its proximity to residential areas, and the impact of the noise on the residents.
It is also proposed to set deterrent fines of 50,000 shekels for establishing or operating without a permit and 10,000 shekels for violating the permit conditions.
In addition, a police officer will be authorized to demand immediate cessation of operation and even confiscate the public address system in the event of a continuous violation.
In contrast to previous bills submitted on the subject, which focused on limiting hours for operating public address systems only and allowed broad exceptions with limited enforcement, the current bill establishes a well-organized licensing and supervision mechanism, imposes clear personal responsibility on the operating entity, and significantly strengthens enforcement and punishment powers.
In addition, a dedicated mechanism was established for the return of enforcement funds for the benefit of public projects.
The explanatory notes state that noise is a health hazard, and that despite enforcement operations conducted in the past, there is currently no law that provides sufficient tools for dealing with the phenomenon.
Therefore, a clear regulation is proposed that includes a default prohibition, an explicit permit, the appointment of a person responsible for operation, and significant fines. The bill seeks to restore peace and quality of life to residents, with effective and clear enforcement.
Minister of National Security, MK Itamar Ben-Gvir: "In many places, the noise of the muezzin is an unreasonable noise that harms the quality of life and health of residents. This is a phenomenon that cannot be tolerated. During my tenure, for the first time, the Israel Police began to deal with this unbearable phenomenon, and now we are giving it additional dramatic tools to eradicate the phenomenon."
National Security Committee Chairwoman, MK Zvika Fogel: "Listening to the muezzin at abnormally high volumes is not a religious matter, it is a violation of public health and quality of life. It is impossible for residents to continue to suffer from systematic violations of the law. For this reason, I submitted the bill, to enable sharp, clear, and determined treatment of the phenomenon."
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