Israel president decries bill to quieten mosques

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin spoke out on Tuesday against a controversial bill that would prohibit mosques from using loudspeakers to summon believers to prayers early in the morning.

The draft law, which sparked outrage around the Arab and wider Muslim world, is set to be submitted to its first reading in parliament on Wednesday.

Its original form was amended last week to not affect the sirens that announce the start of the Jewish day of rest at sundown each Friday.

Rivlin on Tuesday hosted in his Jerusalem residence a meeting of religious leaders "seeking to bridge gaps over the issue of the muezzins", the Muslim lay officials charged with calling the faithful to prayer across the country, a statement from his office read.