JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday mentioned he would stop the passage of a proposal by a robust ally in his governing coalition to punish Christian proselytizing with jail time.

The proposal had raised an uproar with evangelical Christians — one among Israel’s strongest and most influential supporters in the US.

The invoice was launched in January by a pair of ultra-Orthodox Jewish lawmakers, together with Moshe Gafni, who heads the parliament’s Finance Committee. It says soliciting somebody to transform their religion needs to be punishable by one 12 months in jail and solicitation to transform a minor could be punishable with a two-year sentence.

“Just lately, the makes an attempt of missionary teams, primarily Christians, to solicit conversion of faith have elevated,” it mentioned.

The invoice was by no means superior, however it drew widespread consideration within the American evangelical world this week after All Israel Information, an evangelical information website, reported on it.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu introduced on Twitter: “We won’t advance any legislation towards the Christian neighborhood.”

Gafni mentioned he had launched the invoice as a procedural matter, as he has performed up to now, and there have been no plans to advance it.

Evangelical Christians, significantly in the US, are among the many strongest backers of Israel, viewing it because the achievement of biblical prophecy, with some seeing it because the harbinger of a second coming of Jesus Christ and the tip of days.

Israel has lengthy welcomed evangelicals’ political and monetary assist, and it has largely shrugged off issues about any hidden spiritual agenda. However most Jews view any effort to transform them to Christianity as deeply offensive, a legacy of centuries of persecution and compelled conversion by the hands of Christian rulers. Partly, due to these sensitivities, evangelical Christians not often goal Jews.

Joel Rosenberg, editor in chief of All Israel Information, welcomed Netanyahu’s announcement, which comes at a time of home turmoil in Israel over his plan to overtake the nation’s authorized system and rising tensions with the Biden administration over West Financial institution settlement actions.

“Netanyahu is a longtime and confirmed pal to the worldwide Christian neighborhood and his motion right this moment — amidst all the opposite points on his plate — is additional proof,” Rosenberg mentioned.