Is Israel progressive when it comes to gay rights ?
Patriarchal and homophobic attitudes are present in both Palestinian and Israeli societies, although Israeli officials frequently tout Tel Aviv’s tolerant atmosphere as if this justified Israel’s violence against the Palestinian people. This practice has been denounced by progressive gay Palestinians and others as “pinkwashing”.
Israel has threatened to out gay Palestinians, often exploiting information gathered via warrantless electronic surveillance, and demanding that they inform on family, friends, and neighbors, thus adding to the burdens of Palestinian queers seeking a full and free life in their homeland.
Militarized societies and colonial oppression have often bred misogyny and homophobia. Israeli feminists denounce Israel’s misogyny and link it to the exalted status of the military in their society. Israeli Jewish women and Palestinian queers will have the best opportunity to achieve justice, dignity, and freedom, when Israel is decolonized and Israeli and Palestinian men and women are all free.
Elected officials can celebrate the freedoms achieved by the Jewish Israeli LGBTQ community while opposing both Israel’s exploitation of Palestinian queers and homophobia within Palestinian society.
For a more comprehensive read about Pinkwashing: