Regional Islamic Intolerance<\\/h2>\\n \ Surrounded by Muslim countries where homosexuality is illegal, (except for Jordan and Bahrain) Tel Aviv Pride is easily the largest LGBTQ event in the Middle East and Asia.<\\/p>\\n \ In Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Syria and Tunisia same-sex activity is \\u00a0punishable by imprisonment.<\\/p>\\n \ Homosexual activity is punishable by death in Afghanistan, Iran, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.<\\/p>\\n \ In Gaza and the Palestinian West Bank territories, all too often homosexual men are tortured, their bodies mutilated, defiled and left in ditches along roadsides.<\\/p>\\n \\n \ On Wednesday May 31, the Iranian backed Hamas terror organization which controls the Gaza Strip denounced the upcoming Jerusalem Pride Parade.<\\/p>\\n \ Hamas labeled it as \\u201ca provocative march of perverts.<\\/em>\\u201d<\\/p>\\n \ A Hamas Spokesman publicly called on all Palestinians to confront LGBTQ participants \\u201cin defense of the Al-Aqsa Mosque<\\/em>.\\u201d<\\/p>\\n<\\/div>\\n Israeli Right-Wing Intolerance in Jerusalem Led to Murder<\\/h2>\\n** *\* **Because of the historic and religious nature of Jerusalem, the annual parade all too often faces opposition from homophobic right wing politicians, extremists, orthodox and ultra-orthodox religious leaders and their students.<\\/p>\\n The first Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade, organized by the non-profit organization, \\u201cThe Jerusalem Open House For Pride and Tolerance\\u201d was held in 2002.\\u00a0Jerusalem Open House Hebrew Only<\\/a><\\/p>\\n During the 2005 Jerusalem Pride Parade, Yishai Schlissel, a right-wing religious fanatic attacked and stabbed several men and women. Schlissel was arrested and served 10 years in jail.<\\/p>\\n On the July 30, 2015 Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade newly released Schlissel stabbed five participants and murdered 16 year old Israeli lesbian, Shira Banki. Shira\\u2019s Murder Saves Lives<\\/a><\\/p>\\n \"\" Israeli teenager, Shira Banki, aged 16 was murdered during the July 2015 Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade. Her parents, Uri and Mika established \\u2018Shira Banki\\u2019s Way<\\/em>\\u2018 Shira Banki\\u2019s Way<\\/a>\\u00a0 an organization devoted to combatting hatred and intolerance. Their motto is, \\u201cIt is better to teach good than to condemn the evil<\\/strong>.\\u201d (Photo Credit: Family Photo via AFP)<\\/figcaption><\\/figure>\\n*** *\* Every year Shira\\u2019s parents, Uri and Mika attend the annual Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade. And every year there\\u2019s a Memorial For Shira along the parade route on Keren Hayesod Street where she was attacked.<\\/p>\\n *\* ***Shira is remembered with flowers, candles and repetition of the \\u2018Mourner\\u2019s Kaddish,\\u2019 the Hebraic prayer for the dead whose last line reads, \\u201cHe who makes peace from His heavenly throne, He who brings peace to the entire world and all of Israel, let us say, Amen<\\/em>.\\u201d<\\/p>\\n \"\" Young, beautiful Shira Banki, murdered by a right-wing orthodox fanatic in 2015 is not forgotten. Every year a memorial is set up along the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade Route where Shira was attacked. Participants often stop, recite the \\u2018Mourners Kaddish<\\/em>,\\u2019 the prayer for the dead. On the top left of the poster is the Jerusalem Open House \\u00a0Pride & Tolerance Logo. The English translation of the \\u2018Shira Banki\\u2019s Way<\\/em>\\u2018 motto is, \\u201cIt is better to teach good than to condemn the evil.<\\/strong>\\u201c<\\/em> \\u00a0(Photo Credit:Reuters)<\\/figcaption><\\/figure>\\n***** *\* Although far from perfect, through years of Bibi\\u2019s Coalitions of Broken Promises, the LGBTQ community continued to thrive. And at times even protected by the Supreme Court.<\\/p>\\n *\* *****In all branches of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), openly lesbian, gay and bisexual soldiers can freely serve without fear of discrimination. Soldiers are permitted to freely attend Gay Pride Parades and the IDF recognizes same-sex relationships, widows and widowers.<\\/p>\\n Bibi\\u2019s Homophobic Partners: Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Avi Maoz<\\/h2>\\n******* *\* Before the November 2022 elections, with over 72% of Israelis in favor of same-sex marriage, there were expectations the LGBTQ community would receive further civil rights, funding and legal protection.<\\/p>\\n *\* Then the unexpected happened.<\\/p>\\n *\* *******Bibi Netanyahu put together a coalition of far right, religious fanatics, racists, greedy, sexist, self-declared homophobes.<\\/p>\\n \"\" On the left is Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich leader of the far right extremist \\u201cReligious Zionist Party.\\u201d On the right is Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the even more extreme \\u201cOtzma Yehudit \\u2013 Jewish Strength\\u201d Political party. Photo is from an event in Bat Yam, Israel on April 6, 2019. (Photo Credit: Flash90)<\\/figcaption><\\/figure>\\n******* *\* *******On the left is Bezalel Smotrich<\\/strong>. The newly appointed Finance Minister, Smotrich is leader of the far right extremist \\u201cReligious Zionist Party.\\u201d He resides in the illegal (by international law) West Bank settlement of Kedumim.<\\/p>\\n Literary hours before the 2023-2024 budget was passed, Smotrich padded the budget for Settler Groups and quashed a 2 billion shekel ($580,000,000) five-year investment plan for East Jerusalem in areas of \\u00a0education, infrastructure and employment. From Haaretz, Smotrich\\u2019s Budget<\\/a><\\/p>\\n Smotrich is a disciple of his father, Rabbi Haim Smotrich. And in his early years of activism Smotrich was arrested on suspicion of organizing violent domestic terrorist activities.<\\/p>\\n For many years Smotrich publicly called himself a\\u201dproud homophobe<\\/em>.\\u201d In a recent recording he labeled himself a \\u201cfascist homophobe<\\/em>.<\\/strong>\\u201d<\\/p>\\n Smotrich is devoted to his political party\\u2019s spiritual adviser, Rabbi Chaim Druckman, whose main goal is to turn Israel into a Theocracy, based upon the laws of the Torah.<\\/p>\\n When interviewed Smotrich said, \\u201cThe laws of Torah are far more preferable than the state of law instituted by Aharon Barak.<\\/em>\\u201d (Aharon Barak is a former Supreme Court justice).<\\/p>\\n On the right side of the photograph<\\/strong> is Itamar Ben-Gvir.<\\/strong><\\/p>\\n Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Goldstein<\\/h3>\\n Itamar Ben-Gvir lives in the illegal West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba in the Palestinian city of Hebron. He was convicted of inciting terrorism, threatened Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, celebrated the devastating stroke that ended the career of right-wing, Likud Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and incites violence against Palestinians. (For information on Ben Gvir\\u2019s political antics check out<\\/em>\\u00a0Itamar Ben-Gvir\\u2019s Reputation<\\/a><\\/p>\\n Before seriously entering politics, Ben-Gvir was advised to remove a photograph of his hero, a former Kiryat Arba Settler and \\u2018Kach Party\\u2019 Member, the late Jewish<\\/strong> domestic terrorist Baruch Goldstein<\\/strong>.<\\/p>\\n Born in Brooklyn, Goldstein earned his medical degree at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.<\\/p>\\n In 1983, at the age of 27, \\u00a0Goldstein arrived in Israel.<\\/p>\\n Serving as a physician in the army, Goldstein refused to treat any Arab including Arab IDF soldiers.<\\/p>\\n Married with four children, on the 25th of February 1994 (Jewish holiday of Purim) Dr. Baruch Goldstein entered the \\u201cTomb of the Patriarchs\\u201d sacred to Abrahamic religions who believe all three founding couples, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac with Rebecca and Jacob and Leah are buried there.<\\/p>\\n Dressed in an IDF officers uniform, Goldstein entered the Mosque area of the cave and massacred 29 worshipping Palestinian Muslims, wounding a further 125 worshippers. Eventually several survivors attacked Goldstein who was beaten to death.<\\/p>\\n Ben-Gvir not only admires Goldstein, Ben-Gvir is vehemently anti-LGBTQ.<\\/strong><\\/p>\\n Ben-Gvir protested and demonstrated against Jerusalem Gay Pride Parades. Photographed and filmed shouting curses and obscenities, his outrageous anger bordered on incitement to violence.<\\/p>\\n Along with Smotrich, Ben-Gvir participated in anti-gay rallies and demonstrations in Jerusalem. In November 2006 both men among dozens of extreme-right-wing religious activists, participated in the \\u201cBeast Parade.\\u201d Anti-Gay Beast Parade<\\/a><\\/p>\\n The ultra-orthodox and orthodox Jewish protestors brought goats and donkeys to their anti-gay demonstration. The young and old men carried signs, \\u201cJerusalem, I Am Outraged,\\u201d and \\u201cEnough Uncleanliness.\\u201d They shouted the beasts never committed sins and were cleaner than gay men.<\\/p>\\n Ben-Gvir is the real winner<\\/h2>\\n*********** *\* On March 23, 2023, Bibi faced a general strike as a reaction to the Judicial Overhaul and the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. To calm the situation, Bibi agreed to put the overhaul discussion on hold.<\\/p>\\n *\* Itamar Ben-Gvir was angry with Bibi\\u2019s decision. Simply put he blackmailed Bibi with threats of bringing down the government.<\\/p>\\n *\* To shore up his coalition and calm down the volatile Itamar, Bibi handed Ben-Gvir the title of Minister of National Security with a one billion shekels budget and promises of his own private militia.<\\/p>\\n *\* ***********Ben-Gvir\\u2019s dream came true and Bibi\\u2019s coalition was saved. The general strike never happened, Israelis breathed a sigh of relief and went shopping. Passover was a mere 5 days away.<\\/p>\\n And then came Avi Maoz<\\/h2>\\n \"\" On the left is indicted Crime Minister Bibi Netanyahu who is held captive by the most extremist, intolerant, group of right wing fanatics. On the right is Member of the Knesset, Avi Moaz, chairman of the \\u2018Noam\\u2019 political party. Of all the anti-LGBTQ members of Bibi\\u2019s coalition, hands down, Maoz is the most homophobic. (Photo Credits: Yoav Dudkevitch, Alex Kolomoisky)<\\/figcaption><\\/figure>\\n************* *\* Member of Knesset Avi Maoz is the most extreme homophobe misogynist in Bibi\\u2019s coalition.<\\/strong><\\/p>\\n *\* Maoz is the chairman of the very far-right, conservative Religious Zionist political party, \\u00a0\\u201cNoam.\\u201d<\\/p>\\n *\* Their primary goal is the advancement of anti-LGBTQ policies.<\\/p>\\n *\* Maoz and his supporters believe public sector entities including the Ministry of Education and the Israel Defense Forces have been infiltrated by feminist and LGBTQ individuals and organizations.<\\/p>\\n *\* Maoz is against secularism, continues to campaign heavily against LBGTQ rights, continues to call for a ban on Pride Parades and promotes making the controversial \\u2018conversion therapy\\u2019 legal.<\\/p>\\n *\* He is against women serving in the military and promotes segregation in all public events.<\\/p>\\n *\* *************It was reported in mid 2022 that Maoz keeps a list of women\\/feminist\\/lesbian and gay famous personalities, entertainers and members of the media who he has labeled \\u00a0as \\u2018advisors\\u2019 promoting their own radical liberal agenda.<\\/p>\\n From the May 29th Haaretz Editorial (Israel\\u2019s Snitch-in-Chief), \\u00a0\\u201cMaoz has a lot of experience in \\u201cmonitoring\\u201d material, \\u201csupervising\\u201d people and branding them politically. Over the past year, the media reported that<\\/em> Noam kept lists of LGBTQ people<\\/a> in the media and the education system, as well as feminists who advise the military<\\/em>.\\u201d<\\/p>\\n When the November 2022 election returns were finalized and all votes counted, Maoz actually won a seat in the Knesset.<\\/p>\\n Bibi is in the middle of his fraud, bribery and breach of trust court cases. He will do anything to secure his position as prime minister to manipulate the laws in his bid to avoid jail. Brookings Commentary, King Bibi<\\/a><\\/p>\\n To \\u00a0make Avi Maoz happy, Bibi endowed by pointing him as chairman of the \\u201cJewish Identity Authority\\u201d with a budget of $76,000,000.<\\/p>\\n Maoz will serve as an \\u2018independent supervisor\\u2019 along side the Ministry of Education. He will examine school curricula and after school activities.<\\/p>\\n His huge budget will be used to \\u201cencourage religious observance among students and adults<\\/em>,\\u201d and programs that will foster, \\u201cJewish national identity.\\u201d <\\/em>This to is in coordination with the Ministry of Education.<\\/p>\\n According to the latest reports, dozens of mayors and regional councils have refused to work with Maoz or support his agenda. \\u00a0And over 200 school principals have signed a petition protesting Maoz\\u2019s appointment.<\\/p>\\n May 30th Jerusalem Post editorial reports: \\u201cAvi Maoz has no place in Israel\\u2019s government. The problem with Maoz being in charge is that he and his party advocate extremist views that are anti-pluralist and anti-secular, anti-feminist and anti-LGBT<\\/em>.\\u201d<\\/p>\\n Epilogue<\\/h2>\\n*************** *\* \"\" *\* June 1, 2023 Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade, organized and hosted by The Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance. Tens of thousands of Israel\\u2019s LGBTQ citizens marched to celebrate life, freedom and choice. In the family friendly loving atmosphere, the Gay Pride Parade was also a show of force against the reprehensible coalition\\u2019s desire to overhaul the judiciary which could mean the destruction of human rights for all. (Photo Credit: Yonatan Sindel\\/Flash90)<\\/figcaption><\\/figure>\\n *\* Estimates of 30,000 \\u2013 50,000 LGBTQ citizens and friends came to Jerusalem on Thursday. The family friendly Jerusalem Pride Parade was labeled the most important LGBTQ march in modern Israel\\u2019s 75 years.<\\/p>\\n *\* U.S. Ambassador to Israel His Exc. Tom Nides<\\/strong> who attended the Parade said, \\u201cWe work with the LGBTQ community, we love you and want to support you. This is the spirit of America \\u2013 to stand with the Israelis and LGBTQ community and support you in everything you need. This is democracy and the values we share and why we are here. We are with you.<\\/em>\\u201d<\\/p>\\n *\* Leader of the Opposition, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid<\\/strong> said, \\u201cOutside, like every year, there are the wretched thugs of the far-right Lehava and the Kach movement, demonstrating against us. The only difference is that this year these people are no longer just a ridiculous bunch of dark extremists \\u2013 they are part of the government<\\/em>.\\u201d<\\/p>\\n *\* Lapid also declared, \\u201cBezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Avi Maoz are trying to push us back into the closet. Into the dark closet of their prejudices, into the dark closet of fear and hatred<\\/em><\\/strong>.\\u201d<\\/p>\\n *\* \\u00a0<\\/p>\\n *\* to be continued\\u2026on the ground in Israel, the magical Jews of Ethiopia, racism in Israel.<\\/h2>\\n *\* \\u00a0<\\/p>\\n *\* \\u00a0<\\/p>\\n *\* \\u00a0<\\/p>\\n *\* \\u00a0<\\/p>\\n *\* \\u00a0<\\/p>\\n *\* \\u00a0<\\/p>\\n *\* <\\/h2>\\n *\* \\u00a0<\\/p>\\n *\* \\u00a0<\\/p>\\n *\* \\u00a0<\\/p>\\n *\* \\u00a0<\\/p>\\n<\\/body><\\/html>\\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" *\* ***************On June 11, 1999, U.S. President William J. Clinton proclaimed June as the \\u2018Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.\\u2019 Bill Clinton\\u2019s Proclamation. Countries around the world soon followed in Clinton\\u2019s footsteps. In Israel, there have been Tel Aviv based Gay Pride Parades since 1993. Originally motivated by local political issues, by the year 2000 the annual \[…\]<\\/p>\\n","protected":false},"author":4896,"featured\_media":1065,"comment\_status":"open","ping\_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":\[1206,1197,1218,1200,741,771,744,1125,1182,1236,1185,1209,1212,1104,783,1221,1203,996,1191,1215,1224,1227,1233,1179,726,777,789,1230,1188,1194,1242,1239,1,1245\],"tags":\[1257,1260,534,1251,1248,1254\],"class\_list":\["post-1056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anti-gay","category-avi-maoz","category-baruch-goldstein","category-bezalel-smotrich","category-bibi-netanyahu","category-current-affairs","category-current-events","category-haaretz","category-hamas","category-hebron","category-homophobia","category-homosexuality","category-human-rights-middle-east","category-idf","category-israel","category-israeli-terrorists","category-itamar-ben-gvir","category-jerusalem","category-jerusalem-gay-pride","category-jerusalem-open-house","category-jewish-terrorists","category-kahane","category-kiryat-arba","category-lgbt","category-politics","category-politics-and-religion","category-pro-democracy-demonstrations","category-settlements","category-shari-banki","category-tel-aviv-pride","category-tom-nides","category-tomb-of-the-patriarchs","category-uncategorized","category-yair-lapid","tag-avi-maoz","tag-bezalel-smotrich","tag-itamar-ben-gvir","tag-jerusalem-gay-pride","tag-lgbt","tag-shari-banki"\],"yoast\_head":"\\nJerusalem's Gay Pride & Netanyahu's Homophobic Coalition<\\/title>\\n<meta name=\\"description\\" content=\\"Tens of thousands came to Jerusalem to attend the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade. 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Between 2021-2022 a selection of my digital paintings participated in 60 international exhibitions, competitions and publications \\u2013 recipient of 39 awards and citations. A citizen of Israel for over 4 decades, I was a volunteer on Kibbutz Hulda, founding member of Kibbutz Samar, served in the IDF\\/NAHAL, and I'm the former Festival Coordinator\\/Guest Hospitality for the Jerusalem Film Festival & Cinematheque.\\",\\"sameAs\\":\[\\"https:\\/\\/www.facebook.com\\/judithlungen9238\\/\\",\\"https:\\/\\/www.instagram.com\\/judithlungen9238\\",\\"https:\\/\\/www.linkedin.com\\/in\\/judith-lungen-9367941b9\\/\\"\],\\"url\\":\\"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/thecommonalityofhumanity\\/author\\/jlungen\\/\\"}\]}<\\/script>\\n","yoast\_head\_json":{"title":"Jerusalem's Gay Pride & Netanyahu's Homophobic Coalition","description":"Tens of thousands came to Jerusalem to attend the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade. 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Not just a parade, it was a protest against the anti-LGBTQ government.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/thecommonalityofhumanity\\/2023\\/06\\/jerusalems-gay-pride-netanyahus-homophobic-coalition\\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":\[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":\["https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/thecommonalityofhumanity\\/2023\\/06\\/jerusalems-gay-pride-netanyahus-homophobic-coalition\\/"\]}\]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/thecommonalityofhumanity\\/2023\\/06\\/jerusalems-gay-pride-netanyahus-homophobic-coalition\\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":\[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/thecommonalityofhumanity\\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Jerusalem’s Gay Pride & Netanyahu’s Homophobic Coalition"}\]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/thecommonalityofhumanity\\/#website","url":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/thecommonalityofhumanity\\/","name":"The Commonality of Humanity, An Artist's Journey","description":"Exploring through Art the harmony, sameness and fundamental truths that exist within ancient scripture, and personal experiences of Spirit.","potentialAction":\[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/thecommonalityofhumanity\\/?s={search\_term\_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search\_term\_string"}\],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/thecommonalityofhumanity\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/a82dbb1e9fad5b7a1c36bb005990869a","name":"Judith Lungen","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\\/\\/www.patheos.com\\/blogs\\/thecommonalityofhumanity\\/#\\/schema\\/person\\/image\\/","url":"https:\\/\\/secure.gravatar.com\\/avatar\\/439e452a26595d4f2b13ccbae08af977?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\\/\\/secure.gravatar.com\\/avatar\\/439e452a26595d4f2b13ccbae08af977?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Judith Lungen"},"description":"Exploring through Art the harmony, sameness and fundamental truths that exist within ancient scripture and experiences of The Divine. Born in Jersey City, growing up two hours north of New York City the heart of the 'Borscht Belt,' from the age of eight I received a wonderful, intense education in the world of music, theatre, art, ballet and creative writing. My first spiritual mentor was the larger-than-life, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach who, with his passion and songs instilled in me the joy of loving God. My second spiritual mentor is the mystical, magical Siddha Master, Jivanmukta Swami Ganapati. He has been my guide, my teacher, my focus for 33 years. Parallel to my spiritual journey, my art (with great amusement) often intersects with my worldly life. While living in London, employed by the budding Walker Books Children's Book Publishing Company, my watercolors were invited to over a dozen competitions and two solo exhibitions. Having transitioned to the world of digital art, I created my techniques that resemble watercolor subtlety. 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{"id":1056,"date":"2023-06-02T16:08:15","date_gmt":"2023-06-02T13:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thecommonalityofhumanity\/?p=1056"},"modified":"2023-06-03T09:32:51","modified_gmt":"2023-06-03T06:32:51","slug":"jerusalems-gay-pride-netanyahus-homophobic-coalition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thecommonalityofhumanity\/2023\/06\/jerusalems-gay-pride-netanyahus-homophobic-coalition\/","title":{"rendered":"Jerusalem’s Gay Pride & Netanyahu’s Homophobic Coalition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Gay Pride Celebrations Israeli style. For the past 23 years Tel Aviv Pride has attracted tens of thousands LGBTQ folks from around the world. This year over 250,000 participants are expected to arrive in Tel Aviv to enjoy the largest Gay Pride event in the Middle East and Asia (Photo Credit: Public Domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

On June 11, 1999, U.S. President William J. Clinton proclaimed June as the \u2018Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.\u2019 Bill Clinton\u2019s Proclamation<\/a>. Countries around the world soon followed in Clinton\u2019s footsteps.<\/p>\n

In Israel, there have been Tel Aviv based Gay Pride Parades since 1993.<\/p>\n

Originally motivated by local political issues, by the year 2000 the annual Parade developed into a global entertainment and social celebration.<\/p>\n

For 23 years, Tel Aviv Pride has attracted tens of thousands of LGBTQ individuals from around the world. This year over 250,000 LGBTQ attendees are expected to celebrate in Israel\u2019s largest, most diversified, cosmopolitan coastal city.<\/p>\n

Never without controversy, Prime Minister Benjamin \u2018Bibi\u2019 Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition partners have for years exploited and cashed in on the backs of Israel\u2019s LGBTQ community.<\/p>\n

Bibi\u2019s partners consistently green-light major funds for the Ministry of Tourism to promote LGBTQ tourism rather than fund organizations to protect and meet the needs of Israeli LGBTQ citizens.<\/p>\n

Regional Islamic Intolerance<\/h2>\n \ Surrounded by Muslim countries where homosexuality is illegal, (except for Jordan and Bahrain) Tel Aviv Pride is easily the largest LGBTQ event in the Middle East and Asia.<\/p>\n \ In Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Syria and Tunisia same-sex activity is \u00a0punishable by imprisonment.<\/p>\n \ Homosexual activity is punishable by death in Afghanistan, Iran, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n \ In Gaza and the Palestinian West Bank territories, all too often homosexual men are tortured, their bodies mutilated, defiled and left in ditches along roadsides.<\/p>\n \n \ On Wednesday May 31, the Iranian backed Hamas terror organization which controls the Gaza Strip denounced the upcoming Jerusalem Pride Parade.<\/p>\n \ Hamas labeled it as \u201ca provocative march of perverts.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \ A Hamas Spokesman publicly called on all Palestinians to confront LGBTQ participants \u201cin defense of the Al-Aqsa Mosque<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Israeli Right-Wing Intolerance in Jerusalem Led to Murder<\/h2>\n Because of the historic and religious nature of Jerusalem, the annual parade all too often faces opposition from homophobic right wing politicians, extremists, orthodox and ultra-orthodox religious leaders and their students.<\/p>\n The first Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade, organized by the non-profit organization, \u201cThe Jerusalem Open House For Pride and Tolerance\u201d was held in 2002.\u00a0Jerusalem Open House Hebrew Only<\/a><\/p>\n During the 2005 Jerusalem Pride Parade, Yishai Schlissel, a right-wing religious fanatic attacked and stabbed several men and women. Schlissel was arrested and served 10 years in jail.<\/p>\n On the July 30, 2015 Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade newly released Schlissel stabbed five participants and murdered 16 year old Israeli lesbian, Shira Banki. Shira\u2019s Murder Saves Lives<\/a><\/p>\n Israeli teenager, Shira Banki, aged 16 was murdered during the July 2015 Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade. Her parents, Uri and Mika established \u2018Shira Banki\u2019s Way<\/em>\u2018 Shira Banki\u2019s Way<\/a>\u00a0 an organization devoted to combatting hatred and intolerance. Their motto is, \u201cIt is better to teach good than to condemn the evil<\/strong>.\u201d (Photo Credit: Family Photo via AFP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n* Every year Shira\u2019s parents, Uri and Mika attend the annual Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade. And every year there\u2019s a Memorial For Shira along the parade route on Keren Hayesod Street where she was attacked.<\/p>\n Shira is remembered with flowers, candles and repetition of the \u2018Mourner\u2019s Kaddish,\u2019 the Hebraic prayer for the dead whose last line reads, \u201cHe who makes peace from His heavenly throne, He who brings peace to the entire world and all of Israel, let us say, Amen<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Young, beautiful Shira Banki, murdered by a right-wing orthodox fanatic in 2015 is not forgotten. Every year a memorial is set up along the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade Route where Shira was attacked. Participants often stop, recite the \u2018Mourners Kaddish<\/em>,\u2019 the prayer for the dead. On the top left of the poster is the Jerusalem Open House \u00a0Pride & Tolerance Logo. The English translation of the \u2018Shira Banki\u2019s Way<\/em>\u2018 motto is, \u201cIt is better to teach good than to condemn the evil.<\/strong>\u201c<\/em> \u00a0(Photo Credit:Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Although far from perfect, through years of Bibi\u2019s Coalitions of Broken Promises, the LGBTQ community continued to thrive. And at times even protected by the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n In all branches of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), openly lesbian, gay and bisexual soldiers can freely serve without fear of discrimination. Soldiers are permitted to freely attend Gay Pride Parades and the IDF recognizes same-sex relationships, widows and widowers.<\/p>\n Bibi\u2019s Homophobic Partners: Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Avi Maoz<\/h2>\n Before the November 2022 elections, with over 72% of Israelis in favor of same-sex marriage, there were expectations the LGBTQ community would receive further civil rights, funding and legal protection.<\/p>\n Then the unexpected happened.<\/p>\n Bibi Netanyahu put together a coalition of far right, religious fanatics, racists, greedy, sexist, self-declared homophobes.<\/p>\n On the left is Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich leader of the far right extremist \u201cReligious Zionist Party.\u201d On the right is Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the even more extreme \u201cOtzma Yehudit \u2013 Jewish Strength\u201d Political party. Photo is from an event in Bat Yam, Israel on April 6, 2019. (Photo Credit: Flash90)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n On the left is Bezalel Smotrich<\/strong>. The newly appointed Finance Minister, Smotrich is leader of the far right extremist \u201cReligious Zionist Party.\u201d He resides in the illegal (by international law) West Bank settlement of Kedumim.<\/p>\n Literary hours before the 2023-2024 budget was passed, Smotrich padded the budget for Settler Groups and quashed a 2 billion shekel ($580,000,000) five-year investment plan for East Jerusalem in areas of \u00a0education, infrastructure and employment. From Haaretz, Smotrich\u2019s Budget<\/a><\/p>\n Smotrich is a disciple of his father, Rabbi Haim Smotrich. And in his early years of activism Smotrich was arrested on suspicion of organizing violent domestic terrorist activities.<\/p>\n For many years Smotrich publicly called himself a\u201dproud homophobe<\/em>.\u201d In a recent recording he labeled himself a \u201cfascist homophobe<\/em>.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n Smotrich is devoted to his political party\u2019s spiritual adviser, Rabbi Chaim Druckman, whose main goal is to turn Israel into a Theocracy, based upon the laws of the Torah.<\/p>\n When interviewed Smotrich said, \u201cThe laws of Torah are far more preferable than the state of law instituted by Aharon Barak.<\/em>\u201d (Aharon Barak is a former Supreme Court justice).<\/p>\n On the right side of the photograph<\/strong> is Itamar Ben-Gvir.<\/strong><\/p>\n Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Goldstein<\/h3>\n Itamar Ben-Gvir lives in the illegal West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba in the Palestinian city of Hebron. He was convicted of inciting terrorism, threatened Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, celebrated the devastating stroke that ended the career of right-wing, Likud Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and incites violence against Palestinians. (For information on Ben Gvir\u2019s political antics check out<\/em>\u00a0Itamar Ben-Gvir\u2019s Reputation<\/a><\/p>\n Before seriously entering politics, Ben-Gvir was advised to remove a photograph of his hero, a former Kiryat Arba Settler and \u2018Kach Party\u2019 Member, the late Jewish<\/strong> domestic terrorist Baruch Goldstein<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Born in Brooklyn, Goldstein earned his medical degree at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.<\/p>\n In 1983, at the age of 27, \u00a0Goldstein arrived in Israel.<\/p>\n Serving as a physician in the army, Goldstein refused to treat any Arab including Arab IDF soldiers.<\/p>\n Married with four children, on the 25th of February 1994 (Jewish holiday of Purim) Dr. Baruch Goldstein entered the \u201cTomb of the Patriarchs\u201d sacred to Abrahamic religions who believe all three founding couples, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac with Rebecca and Jacob and Leah are buried there.<\/p>\n Dressed in an IDF officers uniform, Goldstein entered the Mosque area of the cave and massacred 29 worshipping Palestinian Muslims, wounding a further 125 worshippers. Eventually several survivors attacked Goldstein who was beaten to death.<\/p>\n Ben-Gvir not only admires Goldstein, Ben-Gvir is vehemently anti-LGBTQ.<\/strong><\/p>\n Ben-Gvir protested and demonstrated against Jerusalem Gay Pride Parades. Photographed and filmed shouting curses and obscenities, his outrageous anger bordered on incitement to violence.<\/p>\n Along with Smotrich, Ben-Gvir participated in anti-gay rallies and demonstrations in Jerusalem. In November 2006 both men among dozens of extreme-right-wing religious activists, participated in the \u201cBeast Parade.\u201d Anti-Gay Beast Parade<\/a><\/p>\n The ultra-orthodox and orthodox Jewish protestors brought goats and donkeys to their anti-gay demonstration. The young and old men carried signs, \u201cJerusalem, I Am Outraged,\u201d and \u201cEnough Uncleanliness.\u201d They shouted the beasts never committed sins and were cleaner than gay men.<\/p>\n Ben-Gvir is the real winner<\/h2>\n On March 23, 2023, Bibi faced a general strike as a reaction to the Judicial Overhaul and the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. To calm the situation, Bibi agreed to put the overhaul discussion on hold.<\/p>\n Itamar Ben-Gvir was angry with Bibi\u2019s decision. Simply put he blackmailed Bibi with threats of bringing down the government.<\/p>\n To shore up his coalition and calm down the volatile Itamar, Bibi handed Ben-Gvir the title of Minister of National Security with a one billion shekels budget and promises of his own private militia.<\/p>\n Ben-Gvir\u2019s dream came true and Bibi\u2019s coalition was saved. The general strike never happened, Israelis breathed a sigh of relief and went shopping. Passover was a mere 5 days away.<\/p>\n And then came Avi Maoz<\/h2>\n On the left is indicted Crime Minister Bibi Netanyahu who is held captive by the most extremist, intolerant, group of right wing fanatics. On the right is Member of the Knesset, Avi Moaz, chairman of the \u2018Noam\u2019 political party. Of all the anti-LGBTQ members of Bibi\u2019s coalition, hands down, Maoz is the most homophobic. (Photo Credits: Yoav Dudkevitch, Alex Kolomoisky)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Member of Knesset Avi Maoz is the most extreme homophobe misogynist in Bibi\u2019s coalition.<\/strong><\/p>\n Maoz is the chairman of the very far-right, conservative Religious Zionist political party, \u00a0\u201cNoam.\u201d<\/p>\n Their primary goal is the advancement of anti-LGBTQ policies.<\/p>\n Maoz and his supporters believe public sector entities including the Ministry of Education and the Israel Defense Forces have been infiltrated by feminist and LGBTQ individuals and organizations.<\/p>\n Maoz is against secularism, continues to campaign heavily against LBGTQ rights, continues to call for a ban on Pride Parades and promotes making the controversial \u2018conversion therapy\u2019 legal.<\/p>\n He is against women serving in the military and promotes segregation in all public events.<\/p>\n It was reported in mid 2022 that Maoz keeps a list of women\/feminist\/lesbian and gay famous personalities, entertainers and members of the media who he has labeled \u00a0as \u2018advisors\u2019 promoting their own radical liberal agenda.<\/p>\n From the May 29th Haaretz Editorial (Israel\u2019s Snitch-in-Chief), \u00a0\u201cMaoz has a lot of experience in \u201cmonitoring\u201d material, \u201csupervising\u201d people and branding them politically. Over the past year, the media reported that<\/em> Noam kept lists of LGBTQ people<\/a> in the media and the education system, as well as feminists who advise the military<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n When the November 2022 election returns were finalized and all votes counted, Maoz actually won a seat in the Knesset.<\/p>\n Bibi is in the middle of his fraud, bribery and breach of trust court cases. He will do anything to secure his position as prime minister to manipulate the laws in his bid to avoid jail. Brookings Commentary, King Bibi<\/a><\/p>\n To \u00a0make Avi Maoz happy, Bibi endowed by pointing him as chairman of the \u201cJewish Identity Authority\u201d with a budget of $76,000,000.<\/p>\n Maoz will serve as an \u2018independent supervisor\u2019 along side the Ministry of Education. He will examine school curricula and after school activities.<\/p>\n His huge budget will be used to \u201cencourage religious observance among students and adults<\/em>,\u201d and programs that will foster, \u201cJewish national identity.\u201d <\/em>This to is in coordination with the Ministry of Education.<\/p>\n According to the latest reports, dozens of mayors and regional councils have refused to work with Maoz or support his agenda. \u00a0And over 200 school principals have signed a petition protesting Maoz\u2019s appointment.<\/p>\n May 30th Jerusalem Post editorial reports: \u201cAvi Maoz has no place in Israel\u2019s government. The problem with Maoz being in charge is that he and his party advocate extremist views that are anti-pluralist and anti-secular, anti-feminist and anti-LGBT<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Epilogue<\/h2>\n June 1, 2023 Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade, organized and hosted by The Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance. Tens of thousands of Israel\u2019s LGBTQ citizens marched to celebrate life, freedom and choice. In the family friendly loving atmosphere, the Gay Pride Parade was also a show of force against the reprehensible coalition\u2019s desire to overhaul the judiciary which could mean the destruction of human rights for all. (Photo Credit: Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Estimates of 30,000 \u2013 50,000 LGBTQ citizens and friends came to Jerusalem on Thursday. The family friendly Jerusalem Pride Parade was labeled the most important LGBTQ march in modern Israel\u2019s 75 years.<\/p>\n U.S. Ambassador to Israel His Exc. Tom Nides<\/strong> who attended the Parade said, \u201cWe work with the LGBTQ community, we love you and want to support you. This is the spirit of America \u2013 to stand with the Israelis and LGBTQ community and support you in everything you need. This is democracy and the values we share and why we are here. We are with you.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Leader of the Opposition, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid<\/strong> said, \u201cOutside, like every year, there are the wretched thugs of the far-right Lehava and the Kach movement, demonstrating against us. The only difference is that this year these people are no longer just a ridiculous bunch of dark extremists \u2013 they are part of the government<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Lapid also declared, \u201cBezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Avi Maoz are trying to push us back into the closet. Into the dark closet of their prejudices, into the dark closet of fear and hatred<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n to be continued\u2026on the ground in Israel, the magical Jews of Ethiopia, racism in Israel.<\/h2>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/h2>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" *********On June 11, 1999, U.S. President William J. Clinton proclaimed June as the \u2018Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.\u2019 Bill Clinton\u2019s Proclamation. Countries around the world soon followed in Clinton\u2019s footsteps. In Israel, there have been Tel Aviv based Gay Pride Parades since 1993. Originally motivated by local political issues, by the year 2000 the annual […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4896,"featured_media":1065,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1206,1197,1218,1200,741,771,744,1125,1182,1236,1185,1209,1212,1104,783,1221,1203,996,1191,1215,1224,1227,1233,1179,726,777,789,1230,1188,1194,1242,1239,1,1245],"tags":[1257,1260,534,1251,1248,1254],"class_list":["post-1056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anti-gay","category-avi-maoz","category-baruch-goldstein","category-bezalel-smotrich","category-bibi-netanyahu","category-current-affairs","category-current-events","category-haaretz","category-hamas","category-hebron","category-homophobia","category-homosexuality","category-human-rights-middle-east","category-idf","category-israel","category-israeli-terrorists","category-itamar-ben-gvir","category-jerusalem","category-jerusalem-gay-pride","category-jerusalem-open-house","category-jewish-terrorists","category-kahane","category-kiryat-arba","category-lgbt","category-politics","category-politics-and-religion","category-pro-democracy-demonstrations","category-settlements","category-shari-banki","category-tel-aviv-pride","category-tom-nides","category-tomb-of-the-patriarchs","category-uncategorized","category-yair-lapid","tag-avi-maoz","tag-bezalel-smotrich","tag-itamar-ben-gvir","tag-jerusalem-gay-pride","tag-lgbt","tag-shari-banki"],"yoast_head":"\nJerusalem's Gay Pride & Netanyahu's Homophobic Coalition<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tens of thousands came to Jerusalem to attend the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade. 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