Bill to ban Red Cross visits to Palestinian prisoners fails

Bill to ban Red Cross visits to Palestinian prisoners fails The bill was defeated 41-36 in the Israeli parliament, after ultra-Orthodox coalition parties boycotted the vote over unrelated political disputes, Israeli media reported. Haredi lawmakers withheld support in protest over the government's failure to pass bills that are key to their own agenda. Under Knesset rules, the proposal cannot be reintroduced for six months, effectively shelving it until after general elections due by late October.