The “talkback law” proposed by MK Israel Hasson (Yisrael Beiteinu) passed an initial hearing on Wednesday afternoon.  The law would hold those who write talkbacks on the Internet legally responsible for their words.  Site owners could be prosecuted for talkbacks containing libel or incitement if they refuse to reveal the writer’s identity.

Hasson explained Wednesday that he hoped the law would “promise freedom of expression, and not freedom of incitement.”  MK Shelly Yechimovich (Labor) was one of only two MKs to vote against the law, saying it violated laws protecting freedom of expression.