Israeli leader halts bill against Christian proselytizing

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will prevent the passage of a proposal by a powerful ally in his governing coalition to punish Christian proselytizing with jail time. The proposal had raised an uproar with evangelical Christians — one of Israel’s strongest and most influential supporters in the United States. The bill was introduced in January by a pair of ultra-Orthodox Jewish lawmakers, but only drew attention this week after an evangelical news site reported on it. The proposal says soliciting someone to convert their faith should be punishable by one year in prison and solicitation to convert a minor would be punishable with two years. Responding to the uproar, Netanyahu tweeted: “We will not advance any law against the Christian community.”