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Comments (0)Israel’s Cabinet approved a bill banning the sale of alcohol to people under age 21.
The bill, passed Sunday, also bans the sale of alcohol in public places and would impose large fines on those who sell alcohol to minors.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the beginning of the Cabinet meeting that according to the World Health Organization, Israel is second in the world in alcohol consumption by 11-year-olds and the rate of consumption among 15- to 17-year-olds is above 50 percent.
“We are at the onset of an epidemic,” he said.
The bill now goes to a vote of the full Knesset and must pass three readings.
Under another bill, the Knesset will vote on a ban on the sale of alcohol between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Hesder Yeshiva Heads to Stick with IDF
The heads of 60 hesder yeshivas agreed to continue their arrangement with the Israel Defense Forces.
The Union of Hesder Yeshivas met Sunday to form a united response to the removal of the Har Bracha yeshiva from the hesder program.
“We oppose it and will do everything in our power to stop it from happening,” said Rabbi Haim Druckman, head of the Governing Council of the Union of Hesder Yeshivot at the beginning of Sunday’s meeting.
The Har Bracha yeshiva was removed from the program after its head, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, reportedly encouraged his students to disobey army orders.
Melamed reportedly attended the meeting and agreed to conform to the union’s stand on the yeshivas’ relationship with the army and its officers, Ynet reported.
Under the hesder program, religious men serve 16 months in the army and nearly four years in religious studies. The first hesder program began in 1953.
The rabbis were set to discuss ways to persuade Defense Minister Ehud Barak to rescind his decision and allow Har Bracha to remain in the hesder program, the Jerusalem Post reported. Barak has said he would not reverse his decision, no matter what the yeshiva heads decide.
Turkish President Agrees to Visit Israel
Turkey’s president accepted an invitation from his Israeli counterpart to visit.
Abdullah Gul and Shimon Peres met last Friday on the sidelines of the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen.
Gul’s agreement to visit comes following months of tensions between Israel and Turkey sparked by disagreements over Israel’s war in Gaza last winter with Hamas.
Gul said Turkey was ready to resume its mediating role between Israel and Arab countries, Israel Radio reported. It did not report whether a date had been set for the visit.