Arab Parliament Speaker Meshaal al Sulami denounced on Thursday an Israeli bill that aims to bar mosques from using loudspeakers for the call to prayer (Adhan) in the occupied East Jerusalem.

This bill is a flagrant violation of the freedom of worship and an attempt to erase the cultural and religious heritage of Palestinians, the speaker said in a press release.

The Knesset approved on Wednesday the first reading of the bill by a vote of 55 to 45 in a tumultuous session during which Arab lawmakers shouted "Allahu Akbar!" ("God is great!").

Meshaal urged the international community and the UN to exercise pressure on Israel to backpedal this extremist and irresponsible bill, arguing that continued silence against racist Israeli practices encourages it to go further and further. 

Second and third readings of the draft law must still be approved by the Knesset before it becomes law.

Source: MENA