In a unanimous decision, Knesset lawmakers voted 22-0 in favor of a bill’s first reading that would prohibit individuals or party lists from running in municipal elections if they have rejected Israel’s identity as both a Jewish and democratic state or voiced support for terrorism or armed resistance against the country.
The proposed law aims to amend the Local Authorities Bill to match an existing statute that already bars individuals who endorse terrorism or racism from running for national office in the Knesset.
“We are putting an end to the terrible absurdity in which terror supporters can be elected to local government,” said Likud MK Dan Illouz, who authored the bill.
“My bill passed its first reading today – another step in restoring logic to governance. Those who support the murderers of Jews belong not in councils, but in prison. Public officials should serve the state – not collaborate with those who seek to destroy it.”
In a separate move, lawmakers voted 23-2 to advance the first reading of another bill that would formally replace the phrase “West Bank” with “Judea and Samaria” in all Knesset laws, adopting the biblical name for the area.
Introduced by Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, the legislation specifies that “Judea and Samaria” will be the exclusive term used in future laws and will also be substituted in any past legislation where other terminology was previously used.
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