‘Israeli’ far-right party moves to restrict adhan, calls it “noise”

• Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit advances a bill to restrict the Muslim call to prayer through permits and heavy penalties.
• The proposal grants police broad enforcement powers, including equipment seizure and fines up to $13,500.

The far-right Otzma Yehudit party, led by extremist ‘Israeli’ National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, is advancing a new bill aimed at restricting the Muslim call to prayer in mosques through tighter controls and strict enforcement mechanisms.

The party described the proposal as a “dramatic change” in how authorities address what it labels “noise from mosques”.

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Ben Gvir frames adhan as nuisance

In a statement, Ben Gvir claimed that the “unreasonable noise of the muezzin harms quality of life.” Knesset member Tzvika Fogel, who introduced the bill, said the issue is “not religious but health-related,” calling for firm legislation to confront what he described as “systematic legal violations”.

Permit-first model

Fogel, chair of the Knesset National Security Committee, proposed a framework based on a general ban with a special permit requirement. Under the plan, mosque loudspeakers would be prohibited unless an official permit is obtained.

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Permits would be conditioned on criteria including sound volume, the mosque’s location, and proximity to residential areas.

The proposed legislation would apply in areas under ‘Israeli’ sovereignty, including the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948  and Jerusalem. However, the bill is also expected to be enforced in the occupied West Bank, particularly in Hebron, raising concerns that it would directly impact major Islamic holy sites, including Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque.

Expanded police powers

The proposed law grants ‘Israeli’ police wide authority to immediately halt broadcasts, confiscate loudspeakers for violations, and impose steep financial penalties. Fines could reach $13,500, with funds directed to a so-called confiscation fund.

Otzma Yehudit said the proposal differs from previous attempts to curb the adhan by establishing a formal licensing and oversight system while sharply increasing penalties, claiming the measures are intended to protect public health and quality of life.

Critics have warned that similar initiatives disproportionately target Palestinian and Muslim communities and risk further entrenching discriminatory practices under the guise of regulation.

Religious authorities reject bill

The Supreme Fatwa Council rejected the proposed law targeting the call to prayer, which labels adhan as “noise from mosques” and seeks to ban the use of loudspeakers without official permits based on sound levels and location. In a statement issued Sunday, the council said the measures target mosques in general and Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque in particular, describing the move as a new crime within a broader policy of repression, interference in religious affairs, and attacks on Islamic rituals across Palestinian land. The council said the bill adds to a long list of violations committed by ‘Israeli’ authorities and extremist settlers against Islamic holy sites, including the burning and desecration of mosques.