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Israel approving bill to silence Palestinian mosques, racist act: Analyst

Thursday, 09 March 2017 11:35 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 09 March 2017 11:35 AM ]

A Palestinian muezzin calls for prayer from the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem al-Quds on November 21, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

The Israeli parliament, Knesset, has given preliminary approval to a controversial bill that would ban mosques from using outdoor loudspeakers to broadcast Muslim call to prayer in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Bruce Katz, co-president of Palestinian and Jewish Unity believes this bill is clearly targeting Islam, adding that it is simply another instance of the Islamophobia that is taking root in Western societies.

“I think that however this is also another case of Israel further isolating itself from the rest of the world and indeed confirming its position as an international pariah,” the analyst told Press TV in an interview on Thursday.

By passing this law, he said, Israel has certainly played its role in supporting the type of “racial demagoguery” that exists in the West.

He also opined that such a law is undoubtedly a “racist act”, asserting that any call to ban any form of prayer at a mosque, a synagogue or a church would surely be denounced.

Katz also highlighted the fact that in most countries there is a constitutional protection of freedom of religion which includes freedom to pray at one’s religious institutions.

“This is very clearly one more expression of deep racism on part of the Israeli coalition that is made up of racists and fascists so we should not be surprised,” he said in conclusion.

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