JERUSALEM, July 20 (UPI) -- A bill in the Israeli parliament to protect transgender people from hate crimes was abruptly withdrawn from consideration Wednesday.
The legislation would have added "gender identity" to categories recognized in Israel's criminal code as targets of hate crimes. It would have eased the task of prosecutors seeking more severe punishments for those involved in attacks on transgender people, but was pulled from the Knesset's agenda by coalition chairman David Bitan of the Likud Party before it went to a preliminary vote.