The right holds a majority in the Knesset. This will pass, and send an important MESSAGE to treasonous Arab MKs!

I am surprised that in such an enlightened country as Israel, scholars can run into legal trouble for "he publication of a Jewish law essay, endorsement of any book, or any written or oral expression pertaining to Israel's Torah." In the US we have a very broad freedom of speech and it applies even broader to scholars and teachers. While this results in some very vile speech (Noam Chomsky, Norm Finklestein, to name a few) it is part of what America a beacon of free thought.

We could debate forever about where to draw the line between freedom of speech and inciting violence. However, wherever that line is drawn, it should be in the same place for everyone. If rabbis are allowed to do it, so should everyone else.

That's right, make them immune from criminal prosecution.Lets see what else are these religious type immune from? Work, the arrmy? Lets be realistic, these religious morons believe that religious law is superior to state law. Israeli lawmakers are simply reinforcing this. Such a crazy country.

Insane idea. Until a short while ago, Catholic priests had the benefit of an informal version of criminal immunity. Like what they did with it? As a rabbi & lawyer, I condemn this. Besides, rabbis are NOT the priesthood in Judaism. And, the Torah states clearly that even the Kohen HaGadol didn't have immunity!

No one is above the law. This is totally rediculous. A Rabbi's degree does not make them a G-d.

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Save our nation - someone!!!!!

So, what they are saying is that once somebody is ordained as a Rabbi, they are perfect! They are all like little popes, infallible in every way. In Judaism, as in life, Rabbis are just people, as capable of making mistakes and sinning as the rest of us. The worrying part is that anyone would support this. Do we really want to be Iran?

The book in question justified the killing of Gentiles (non-Jews). Israel continually complains of Arabs preachingincitement in their mosques but are now tryng to makeitlegal in synagogues or in print for their rabbis. Just another example of the hypocrisy that is evident to the rest of the world but Israelis seem to be blind to.

Ussishkin, you made me smile...in a good way. Who says their "interpretations" are valid; that they are not giving their personal opinions and calling it Torah? If immune, they can then "find" in the Torah that soldiers shouldn't obey their commanders. No one should be able to call for the killing of others; neither Israeli Arabs nor Israeli Jews. Rabbi's, Shmabbi's; this is not Judaism, no matter what the TB's to come will say. It seems our recent history hasn't taught us anything.

Now these so called men of God will be able to inc ite hatred and violence towards Israels minorities or who ever the victim of the week is and claim imunity. The reality is that these religious-political leaders do not realize that the more laws they enact the more they alienate so-called secular Jews from Judaism. The more they rant and rave against secular Jews, the less chance they have of creating an atmosphere in which Judaism, Jewish values and Jewish observances will be honored and even followed by the population at large. The more coercion is brought to bear in religious matters, the more the population will rebel against it and revile Judaism

Now the picture is clearer, initiated by Knesset Member Michael Ben Ari the bigest rascist that ever walked this earth, who seems to think its his mission in life to incite hatred and violence. This lunatic represents everything ugly in Jewsism and will divde the nation to the point of civil war.

Everyone should be equal before the law. No matter what your religion, grade, or trade. If we give privileges to the rabbis before justice. Why not an imam, priest or leader of a cult is not known. With the problems facing Israel in terms of image in the international media. If this becomes law. We'll see the world media crying racism, theocracy and all the epithets that the pack of hounds global anti-Semite used to each moment. Privileges to anyone. Duties for all.

What Israeli university professors get away with under freedom of speech is a thousand times worse than anything a rabbi could ever say. Professors have crossed the line not only into incitement but into treason as well. The best thing is to allow everyone freedom of speech, including the right wing, which is heavily censored and intimidated right now, as long as there is no libel or slander. The US has long held that some statements against Jews are not permitted. This limit on free speech is now being abused by Muslims to prevent critics from telling the truth about their culture and beliefs.

When using Torah to send a message that can be an incite to violence Rabbis should face criminal charges. Bible thumping can be a great way for fundamentalists to do harm.

But lets fearmonger and smear the govt which the israeli media does all the time.

Israel is in many ways as screwed-up a place as Saudi or Iran, in terms of the influence and role of religion. But this surpasses even those armpits. Even in those two places, never mind Lebanon, Syria, Jordan or Egypt, a "holy" man who, say, abuses children, incites sedition or otherwise breaks the law is fully prosecuted. That Shas and the other religious kooks should have proposed this nonsense doesn't surprise me. But that Likud MKs joined them means haLikud can no longer be considered a mainstream faction. Qadimah has imploded, 3avodah is next to irrelevant... - who does a rational, secular centrist support on the Israeli political scene!?!

all matters that stem from belief in such existence is pure and simple hogwash and that's saying it kindly. Giving real powers to a representant of superstition is pure insanity. Again I shall blame ourselves, the sane majority for not excersising our Earthly Power that democracy grant us.

We are the religion that refused and continues to refuse to make a God out of a man. Rabbis are men too. I admit here that "incitement" is tricky. There is a thin line between demonstration and incitement. Rabbis are leaders, and they should open their mouths, but in today's world, it is hard to determine sincerity between self-interest, or just plain bad judgment. However, if Rabbis are given immunity, if they commit concrete crimes, such as stealing, murder, molestation, etc., they will be immune from that too, and that is not just against our laws, but God's laws, which we are here to uphold.

but also MKs should be put to it as well!

Why not include Imams? Let them say: "Kill all Jews". That's democratic. Crazy!

What a farce this is another step toward theocracy and should be nipped in the bud. Rabbis would then be free to commit sexual offenses, take bribes and steal money or no end to criminal activities. Just because someone studies religious laws and gets smecha does not automatically make him a moral person. Such a law would be a travesty on our democracy and also on real Judaism.

Why not provide them immunity for embezzling funds and sexually assaulting boys- or girls- and falsifying yeshiva enrollment records to obtain state money and laundering money and so many other things? I mean, after all, these are RABBIS and they MUST be protected.