A bill to ban pig raising in all but a few non-Jewish areas in Israel passed its first reading last night in Israel’s Parliament by a vote of 39 to 23, with five abstentions.
About 10 deputies walked out into the Knesset lobby just before the vote. The bill was supported by the National Religious party, Agudat Israel, most members of Mapai and Herut and two liberal party deputies. It was opposed by all Mapam, Achdut Avodah and Communist deputies, most of the Liberals and three Herut deputies. The Poale Agudat Israel did not attend the voting session and five members of Mapai abstained.
The supporters included two Arab deputies who expressed regret that the ban did not apply to the entire country. It exempts Nazareth and other Galilee sections with predominantly Christian Arab populations. Sheikh Jadar Maudi, who addressed the Knesset, said that the Moslems of Shfaram, his constituency, were disturbed by the presence there of a pigsty operated by a Jew. He said other exempted localities also were populated by Moslems to whom swine was offensive for religious reasons.
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