Queer Israelis back suspension of pro-Gaza war group from LGBTQ+ federation
Over 100 queer Israeli activists have thrown their support behind the suspension of Israeli organisation The Aguda from a major global LGBTQ+ advocacy group.
In an open letter, the activists have called on the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, known as ILGA World, to "immediately expel organisations complicit in apartheid and genocide from its membership".
The letter, which welcomed ILGA World's recent decision to remove The Aguda’s bid to host its next conference in Tel Aviv, is signed by activists calling themselves "Queers Against Genocide". The signatories said they had withheld their identities because of safety concerns.
"As bi, trans, queer, lesbian and gay activists, it's our obligation to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Palestinian comrades, fight alongside them for decolonisation, life and liberation, and against any form of oppression," they write.
"Many of us have marched in the past decades under the banner 'No Pride in Occupation', and now continue to shout out: No Pride in Genocide!"
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Last week, ILGA World announced it had suspended the membership of The Aguda, an umbrella organisation for Israel’s LGBTQ+ community, and dropped the Israeli group's proposal to hold the next ILGA World conference in Tel Aviv.
“We've been calling to boycott Israeli LGBTQ+ organisations for years now, begging international organisations to help us hold them accountable for their part in pinkwashing and participating in Zionist war crimes. Finally, and only when things have gotten to genocidal proportions, we see small action in the right direction," Yosef(a) Mekyton, who signed the letter, told Middle East Eye.
'The ugliest most revolting thing a minority group can do is build its assimilation project on murdering other oppressed people. Shame on the Aguda'
- Yosef(a) Mekyton, signatory to letter
"We are pleased with the steps ILGA took, but it is too little and for so many Palestinians - also too late. The ugliest most revolting thing a minority group can do is build its assimilation project on murdering other oppressed people. Shame on the Aguda, and we hope ILGA will remove them permanently, together with every Jewish-supremacist group.”
Another activist who signed the letter, but preferred to remain anonymous, told MEE: “As a Jewish Israeli lesbian, I'm outraged at The Aguda claiming to speak for LGBTQI movements or be the 'liberal voice', while pinkwashing Israeli apartheid and genocide. They are discredited by their complete alignment with the military and state establishment, in this time of the most despicable crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinian people."
"Queer politics are about crossing-border solidarity and defying nationalism and racism. It is about resisting oppression, not pinkwashing it. ILGA must respect the queer activists worldwide leading the fight against colonialism and for liberation, and its own human rights values, and proceed to expel The Aguda from membership,” the signatory to the letter said.
ILGA World's move to suspend The Aguda came after pressure from Palestinian LGBTQ+ organisations, which raised major concerns about how Israeli LGBTQ+ groups have historically helped “pinkwash” and divert attention from Israel’s crimes against Palestinians.
Bearing witness
The Palestinian groups called for ILGA World to expel all Israeli LGBTQ+ groups "immediately and with no further review or a need to collect evidence".
The Israeli activists on Monday said they were "dismayed" that ILGA World had demanded that Palestinian LGBTQ+ activists present evidence of their own oppression.
"It is our responsibility to bear witness and testify to the oppression and violence endemic to the society we come from and the apartheid regime we exist in, and are, unfortunately, complicit in," they wrote.
"We make ourselves readily available to produce evidence as necessary and provide several brief examples in this letter."
MEE has approached ILGA World for comment.
The Israeli activists also raised concerns in the letter about the Aguda, which they said has actively participated "in the practice of pinkwashing the genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity" perpetrated by the state of Israel and its military.
They pointed to "a quasi-military ceremony" which they said was organised by the Aguda during Pride Month in June. This saw 13 gay, lesbian and trans individuals honoured for their contributions and heroism during the Gaza war.
The Aguda, which has said it is deeply disappointed with ILGA World's decision, responded to the open letter telling MEE that it was "unreasonable to blame a human rights organisation that fights for LGBTQ+ populations marginalised by many state institutions, rather than criticising the government itself".
"For fifty years, the Aguda has fought for LGBTQ+ rights and human rights for all individuals, including LGBTQ+ Arabs, Palestinian asylum seekers, LGBTQ+ victims of terrorism, oppressed people, those serving in the security forces, and anyone who requires our assistance," a spokesperson for the group said on Tuesday.
The spokesperson also said that The Aguda has actively opposed harmful policies and even led protests against the current government.
"Attempts to dictate how we resist are patronising and ignore the complexities we face. We’ll keep fighting for equality and urge others to support—not silence—voices pushing for change," they said.
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