Jerusalem: Israel's Minister of Environmental Protection, Idit Silman, has called on Police Commissioner Dani Levi to take immediate enforcement measures against what she described as 'serious violations' in the use of mosque loudspeakers in several cities, including Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Lod.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Silman has issued a formal letter to police authorities, citing repeated complaints of noise disturbances allegedly caused by the volume of calls to prayer broadcast from three mosques: Al-Siksik Mosque in Jaffa, Al-Omari Al-Kabir Mosque in Lod, and a mosque in the Silwan neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem.
Silman noted that sound level assessments conducted by her ministry indicated that noise from the loudspeakers 'significantly exceeded' legal limits. She criticized the lack of action, despite detailed reports already submitted to the relevant authorities.
The minister has requested that law enforcement activate digital noise monitoring systems and surveillance cameras, impose fines, and issue immediate orders to dismantle loudspeakers that breach legal sound thresholds. She also urged police to seize equipment and open investigations as needed.
The directive comes amid heightened sensitivities over religious freedoms in mixed and predominantly Palestinian areas of Israel and East Jerusalem, where the call to prayer remains both a spiritual practice and a cultural symbol.
