A prominent Jewish fundamentalist authority issued a fatwa prohibiting women to drive, especially in Israeli cities predominantly inhabited by Jewish fundamentalists.

Israeli news site NRG said that the fatwa was issued by one Rabbi Avraham Yosef, chief rabbi of the city of Holon and son of Rabbi Afodia Yosef, Shas' spiritual leader.

Rabbi Yosef justified the fatwa by saying that driving for women does not reflect modesty or chastity especially in cities mostly inhabited by religious people.

The rabbi called for preventing women from learning to drive unless there was a compelling necessity to do so.

Yosef is not the first to issue such a fatwa according to the website. Rabbi Shmuel Halevi, one of the most well-known western rabbis, issued a fatwa forbidding women to drive, arguably due to a large number of traffic accidents caused by the seductive appearance of women, which distracts driving men.

Member of Knesset and head of the house's committee on the status of women Tzipi Hotovely criticised the fatwa saying it negatively affects the assimilation of women in Israeli society regarding driving, a daily task a woman must perform. Hotovely said that taking into consideration religious Jewish families have a large number of children, driving becomes a necessity.