Netanyahu Won’t Promise Support For LGBTQ Equality

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says no to LGBTQ activists request for support
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

LGBTQ activists in Israel are angry after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his residence Sunday where he reportedly told them he could not promise to promote LGBTQ equality after the upcoming elections on Tuesday.

It was Netanyahu’s first meeting with LGBTQ leaders in ten years.

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According to The Times of Israel, Netanyahu said “opposition from religious and ultra-Orthodox parties blocked him from meeting their demands.”

In a statement from the group following the meeting, the representatives said, “The prime minister refused to commit himself to promoting equality of rights as a condition for the establishment of the coalition and expressed concern about the opposition of the religious factions in any coalition that will be established.”

With the final polls showing Netanyahu’s Likud party neck and neck with his opponent’s Blue and White Party, some political pundits say the Prime Minister took the meeting for the photo op and to appear as if he might act on behalf of Israel’s LGBTQ community.

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With that in mind, it’s no wonder the estimated 500,000 LGBTQ voters in Israel aren’t leaning in Netanyahu’s direction.

A recent poll showed only 6% of LGBTQ voters in Israel plan to cast their ballot for Likud, in the upcoming election on April 9, while 31% say they favor the Blue and White party.

LGBTQ leaders in Israel are concerned as anti-gay rhetoric has grown more intense in recent years.

In February, the Association for LGBTQ Equality sent a report to Israel’s President Rivlin which documented a 54% jump from 2017 to 2018 in homophobic incidents.

(h/t Times of Israel – image via Flickr/Palácio do Planalto CC license)

4 thoughts on “Netanyahu Won’t Promise Support For LGBTQ Equality”

  1. “Fake news”? Using One dictator’s language to defend another. Anyone who would defend either of those hateful men has nothing of value to contribute to the conversation on equality.

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  2. This is fake news. First of all, the poll was published on a left wing Facebook group, it doesn’t stand in any academic standards. In fact, the largest lgbt political group in the israel’s Political party is gaava balikud, the lgbt group in Netanyahu’s party. Also, netayahu told them the truth, that he is helping them with many things that are changeable, as most of their requests were. The only problem is with passing laws, because of the Israeli political system. Nathanyahu is not to blame for the system, the left wing parties created that system to begin with and gave the Orthodox Jews a status quo agreement regarding religious and state issues. Nathanyahu oftens expresses his views on LGBT issues. He is all for equal rights, but it takes time to achieve those politically. Also, ask most political activists who were at the meeting – the actually felt good about it. The only organization which published a bad review of the meeting was the Aguda, a radical left organization.

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