MKs Head to Paris to Fight Circumcision Measure

A delegation of members of Knesset headed for Paris on Tuesday to make Israel’s voice heard in the European debate over circumcision, The Jerusalem Post reported.

MK Reuven Rivlin (Likud-Beitenu) led the group to a conference of the Council of Europe’s Presidium to oppose a Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) resolution passed in October which would ban circumcision on grounds of protecting the rights of children.

Joining Rivlin will be MKs Yitzchak Vaknin (Shas) and Ronen Hoffman (Yesh Atid).

Although the PACE initiative is non-binding, Jewish activists fear that it could presage a wave of anti-circumcision laws in European countries.

MKs from almost every party in the Knesset have been lobbying with parliamentarians from nine European countries in a campaign to pass a counter-resolution in April.

Rivlin, Vaknin and Hoffman arrived armed with 100 signatures from MPs on the 318-member council calling for a re-vote on the measure.

“We want to make it clear to the Europeans that even if it’s legitimate for them to intervene in diplomatic or regional issues, it is not legitimate for them to be involved in Judaism and freedom of religion,” Rivlin said.

This article appeared in print on page 36 of the December 11th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.