Hundreds of demonstrators blocked Ibn Gvirol and other main streets in Tel Aviv Wednesday night to protest the passage that afternoon of the surrogacy law. The bill, enacted by a vote of 59 to 52, expands eligibility for state-supported surrogacy to include single women but excludes single men and gay couples. Previously state support was only given to married heterosexual couples.

Passage of the law generated consternation in the opposition and liberal groups. Further controversy was created when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voted against an amendment proposed by Likud MK Amir Ohana granting single men access to surrogacy. Netanyahu had previously said he would support the amendment.

Earlier this week Netanyahu posted a video saying “MK Amir Ohana... raised a simple point on the surrogacy bill. Single mothers [will have] the right to surrogacy and single fathers will not. This is simply not fair, and we need to fix it. And so I told him in the Likud faction meeting that I would support an amendment that he will submit.”

During Wednesday’s vote, however, Netanyahu failed to support the amendment. Ohana backpedaled that the prime minister would support a new amendment were it to be submitted in the Knesset’s winter session.

Netanyahu said subsequent to the vote in a video posted to YouTube that he still supports surrogacy for mothers and fathers.

“Today we voted in favor of a law for mothers. I told MK Ohana ahead of time that I would not support his current amendment because it would topple the law and then mothers would not have access to surrogacy. Despite that, I said that if he introduces a law for fathers I will support it. This is the right thing to do.” Read more via Jerusalem Post