The Knesset plenum on Wednesday approved in a preliminary reading a bill that would ban teenagers under the age of 18 from nightclubs after midnight.

The bill, which was initiated by MK Yoram Marciano (Labor), was passed by a majority of 19-9.

Marciano said that if passed, the bill would function to curb the high instances of violence occuring in late hours at nightclubs and discotheques. Teenagers drink more later at night, contributing to violence.

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The chairman of the National Council for the Child, Dr.Yitzhak Kedman criticized the bill. He claimed that the initiatives was based on incorrect presumptions, including the belief that much of teen violence occurs inside the nightclubs, and that closing them early would decrease the amount of violence.

He said that according to police statistics, most violence attributed to nightclubs occurs outside of the institutions themselves. He also said adults were usually responsible for the violence, and not the teenagers.