Israel’s Knesset rejected a bill that would have legalized civil marriages and divorces. Knesset member Naomi Hazan, a member of the secularist Meretz Party who introduced the bill, criticized Labor Party members who voted against the measure, which was defeated 46-22. Justice Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, who argued for the government against the bill, said that rather than foster religious pluralism, it would sow further divisions between secular and observant Israelis.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
