Israel has implemented a new law solely directed at pregnant women. It stipulates that expectant mothers will no longer be forced to queue.

The law was passed unanimously with 48 Knesset votes, late on Monday night.

The new regulation was put to the Knesset by Arab Joint List part lawmaker Yousef Jabareen, who thought of the idea whilst abroad with his pregnant wife, who was told she didn’t need to stand in a long line.

Mr Jabareen said that when he and his wife “saw the long lines in public places, we thought of giving up on those places. But we were pleasantly surprised when the service providers told us that we did not have to stand in line. When we came back to Israel we noticed the differences. It is time to give pregnant women the respect they deserve.”

The Bill highlights the kinds of places that women will be allowed to skip queues, such as “supermarkets, shops, pharmacies, the post office and other places which provide public service”.

It states: "In order to give pregnant women the respect they deserve and to make life easier for them, it is proposed to amend the Women's Equal Rights Act – and to determine that in a situation in which a pregnant woman will ask, [she] will be granted the right to receive public service without waiting in line.”

The law also says that service providers can ask women to show medical proof that they are in fact pregnant.