The Israeli parliament has unanimously passed a bill banning punters from paying for sex, though lawmakers opted not to penalise the prostitutes themselves.
The bill outlaws the purchase of sex, stipulating a 2,000 shekel ($534) fine as punishment; the financial penalty is doubled for the second offence.
Repeat violations could carry fines of up to 75,300 shekels ($20,000) and criminal prosecution.
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The law is due to come into effect in 18 months; during the period, the government will "try to create rehabilitation mechanisms for sex workers to allow them to find alternative livelihoods", according to The Times of Israel.
Though sex trafficking, brothels, and pimping are already considered criminal activity in Israel, prostitution itself remains legal; it's estimated that at least 14,000 sex workers operate in the country, including 3,000 minors.
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In 1999, Sweden approved the Sex Purchase Act, and since then, similar legislation has been passed in Norway, Canada, France, Iceland, Northern Ireland and several US states.
