Gay Arabs Flock to Israel (not)!

Now I’m quite used to the preposterous claims Israel makes about itself and its neighbors, but this latest one takes the cake. In an ad campaign launched by the American Jewish Committee’s Boston Chapter in the Boston Globe (starting March 28 and running 11 weeks), Israel is portrayed as a tolerant, nurturing place for Israeli gays and lesbians, and a sanctuary for those gays and lesbians subjected to brutal attacks in other countries in the region.

Granted, Israeli gays and lesbians enjoy certain rights and there is a degree of official tolerance, but the insinuation that the country welcomes them with open arms is far from the truth. Last November’s Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem, delayed several times already, was called off and staged instead under tight security inside a stadium. Thousands of police were deployed, an observation balloon floated over the center of Jerusalem and a helicopter patrolled the area. Seems the AJC forgot to mention that Israel’s orthodox community, which holds quite a sway over Israeli politics and society, was a teensy, weensy bit opposed to the country’s gay and lesbian community “defiling” the holy land. This year’s Gay Parade in June is expected to receive a similar welcome, with bombs already injuring one person and warning of more to come, and earlier parades witnessed the stabbing of several gay marchers.

That’s not to say the situation for gays and lesbians in neighboring Arab countries is any better. There is no official tolerance for gay and lesbian rights, and the community suffers from widespread homophobia. In fact, homophobia is the only thing that united Jews and Muslims last year, with the Muslim community supporting the anti-gay protests held by the orthodox Jews. However, my point of contention is the AJC’s misconstruction of the truth: gays and lesbians are not as warmly received by Israeli society as the AJC claims and there are certainly no gays and lesbians from the region seeking refuge in Israel.

But as the popular Arabic proverb says, “If you feel no shame, then do as you wish”. Since the AJC’s goal to influence American public opinion surpasses all ethical or factual considerations, I look forward to seeing how else Israel sets itself apart from its neighbors in the next few weeks of the campaign (earlier gems included the only country in the region to uphold the ideals of freedom and equality, and the country’s sole quest since the day it was “founded” to live in peace with its neighbors, continuing to strive (sob, sob) for peace despite the refusal of its “neighbors” the Palestinians to accept peaceful solutions). Damn, I’m so damn proud of them.