Israel’s Likud party appoints first openly gay MP
Israel’s right-wing Likud party has gained its first openly gay MP – after an existing lawmaker stepped down.
The move came after the country’s Interior Minister, Silvan Shalom, stepped down after complaints of sexual harassment.
Following the row, openly gay lawmaker Amir Ohana will take his spot in the Knesset as the next person on the party list
Mr Ohana is head of Likud’s gay forum, and has four-month-old twins with his male partner.
However, he has been sharply critical of the LGBT community in the past, accusing “leftists” of running “poisonous attacks” on his party.
He told Haaretz in an interview last year: “The gay community needs to grow up,.
“I am against the method of berating, invectives and boycotts every time someone disagrees with the agenda.”
The out politician told Channel 2: “It was expected that I would enter at some point during the current Knesset.
“At the same time, it unfortunately happened under unhappy circumstances. I will do my best for the State of Israel.”
Earleir this year, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Shlomo Amar, claimed homosexuality will “disappear” because Jerusalem is “disgusted” by it.
The ultra-Orthodox preacher said: “I believe that this phenomenon [homosexuality] will wane and disappear, because most of the public is disgusted by it and detest it.”
