By a unanimous vote of 38- 0, MKs outlawed the sale of alcohol at stores between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Restaurants and pubs are not covered by the legislation, but kiosks, gas station convenience stores, markets and pharmacies will be subject to the prohibition, with violators facing a minimum penalty of NIS 9,000.
The law also allows police to seize alcohol being consumed in public and pour out the contents of the bottles.
A few comments:
There are 120 MKs in the Knesset. That means that 82 of them were down at the pub while the vote was taken (or were still hungover from the night before). Why don't their votes count? (My friend suggested that they counted fingers and toes, so actually it was only the Prime Minister and most of one of the Arab MKs)
But more seriously - having lived in both Scotland (where there is no closing time) and England (where there is) I can attest to the fact that there are far fewer fights in Scotland after 11 pm. This is mostly because the Scots are such nice people (and it is hard to fight in a kilt), but also because when they come out of the pub looking for a fight there is nobody else on the streets because everyone is still down the boozer!
I think that alcohol is becoming a real problem in Israel - amongst all segments of society. But I'm not convinced that this is the correct solution. Especially if 2/3 of the MKs can't even be bothered showing up for a vote on a major social issue.
L'Chaim
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