Tel Aviv, ‘Gay Capal Of The Middle East,’ Wel Return Of Pri Celebratn June 8th-12th

ISRAEL’S GAY PRI PARAS REVEAL JT HOW FAR THE NATN HAS STRAYED OM S BIBLIL FOUNDATNS

* israel gay pride *

“The majory of the gay muny Israel is feelg very unsafe, ” said Hila Peer, the chairwoman of Aguda-The Associatn for LGBTQ Equaly Israel. Netanyahu and others his aln say they are mted to protectg gay rights, but the volatile polil suatn means the future is hard to predict. Israel is known as a gay haven the Middle East, and Tel Aviv is equently ced as one of the most gay-iendly ci the world, wh a Pri para that draws hundreds of thoands of revelers om Israel and abroad.

A rarely enforced ban on homosexual relatns was taken off the books 1988, and the army began allowg openly gay service members 1993 — the same year the U. Dpe the legal protectns, LGBTQ Israelis have long faced opposn om wh the haredi Orthodox sector, where rabbis veigh agast homosexualy and policians have vowed to n the untry acrdg to Orthodox terpretatns of Jewish law.

OVER 250,000 REVELERS FLOOD TEL AVIV FOR ISRAEL’S BIGGT EVER GAY PRI PARA

Police bolstered on pal's streets for annual event; 2 teens taed for puttg up posters agast event; anti-gay Lehava group monstrat agast participants * israel gay pride *

The Relig Znist Party, one of three the Relig Znist Bloc, is led by Bezalel Smotrich, who has lled himself a “proud homophobe” and has envisned Israel as a theocracy. He lled the ia of lettg medil provirs ny re to LGBTQ patients “unacceptable” and has appoted a close ally who is gay, Amir Ohana, as Knset speaker. LGBTQ Israelis are playg a ccial role the mountg anti-ernment protts, activatg a work that put some 100, 000 people the streets 2018 after Netanyahu voted agast a bill to allow gay upl to e surrogacy.

The plan has torn open longstandg societal divisns between those who want to prerve Israel’s liberal valu and those who seek to shift toward more relig Mister Benjam Netanyahu’s ernment is ma up of ultranatnalist and ultra-relig parti whose lears openly oppose homosexualy. Netanyahu himself has vowed to protect LGBTQ+ rights, and Parliament Speaker Amir Ohana, a member of his party, is openly Aviv has brand self a gay-iendly statn, and thoands of tourists flew for Thursday’s Quidort, of Chigo, said he had e for an entire week of Pri-related activi.

”Israel is generally tolerant toward the LGBTQ+ muny, a rary the nservative Middle East, where homosexualy is wily nsired taboo and is outlawed some plac. Jewish ultra-Orthodox parti, which wield signifint fluence over matters of relign and state, oppose homosexualy as a vlatn of relig law, as do other relig groups nservative make-up of Netanyahu’s ernment sparked new fears the LGBTQ+ muny that the judicial overhl uld threaten the rights of mori and margalized ernment says the judicial plan is meant to re what says is an overly terventnist Supreme Court. JERUSALEM (AP) — Thoands of people on Thursday marched Jesalem’s Pri para — an annual event that took place for the first time unr Israel’s new far-right ernment, which is stacked wh openly homophobic march the nservative cy is always tense and tightly secured by police, and has been wracked by vlence the past.