Is Israel becoming a homophobic state? How the government rejects laws on LGBT rights

At the end of 2025, the All-Israel Association for LGBT Rights (Aguda) celebrated its 50th anniversary. For half a century, the community has gone from complete disenfranchisement to the recognition of same-sex families and the integration of queer people into all spheres of society. Today, however, this progress has faced serious resistance: the overwhelming majority of the rights of LGBT citizens are still not enshrined in law, and the current composition of the Knesset (высший законодательный орган – парламент – Государства Израиль) consistently blocks vital initiatives.

The Laws of the Saga: The Rejected Defense

All the achievements of the community in recent decades have been the result of judicial precedents, not legislative will. In the Knesset, dominated by religious and conservative forces, there is a situation in which Legislating LGBT rights has become a politically explosive issue.

On the last day of 2025, Israel's government coalition rejected three key bills, known as "The Laws of the Saga" (in honor of Captain Saga Golan, who died on 7 October):

1. Hate Crimes Punishment Act.

2. The Law on Civil Marriages.

3. A direct ban on conversion "therapy".

Mutilated Souls: The Price of Not Banning Conversion "Therapy"

Despite the warnings of specialists and circulars from the Ministry of Health, there are still There is no unequivocal legislative ban on conversion therapy – pseudoscientific methods of changing sexual orientation.

Reference. Conversion (or reparative) "therapy" is based on anti-scientific methods. Proponents of such practices claim that heterosexuality is a "skill" that can be acquired through training, but in reality this often turns into psychological violence.

The story of 50-year-old Yali Kelrich illustrates the consequences of such practices: for six years, he was subjected to psychological violence by a "specialist" who promised to "correct" his orientation by referring him to sex workers and demanding detailed reports on sexual acts. Yali Kelrich was 19 years old when he first entered the office of a man who was conducting so-called conversion (reparative) "therapy". Three decades later, Yali admits that his soul has been mutilated forever. Today, such practices continue, including through Zoom, affecting the most vulnerable groups – young people from religious and conservative families.

Violence and systemic failures

Another acute problem is physical security. In recent years, there has been an increase in cases of "lynching" of LGBT people who are lured into traps through dating apps.

Jossi Kvatinsky (62 years old) was the victim of such an attack in the Gilo neighborhood of Jerusalem, where he was severely beaten by a group of ten people. Despite severe PTSD and physical injuries, law enforcement did not qualify the attack as a hate crime. The absence of such qualifications in the law deprives victims of increased compensation and weakens the deterrent effect for criminals, transmitting a dangerous signal to society: "these" can be beaten.

Marriage and everyday discrimination

For young couples, the inability to marry within the country creates uncertainty that seeps into all areas of life. The lack of official recognition leads to discrimination at the domestic level:

• Denials of rental housing when the owners find out that the couple is same-sex.

• Refusals to provide wedding services (catering, photographers).

• Radicalization of public discourse and the rise of hatred on social media.

MK Yorai Lahav-Gerzano notes that the homophobic policy of the Knesset will not make LGBT people disappear, but will make Israeli society disappear much less secure for all its citizens.

Read more in Hebrew here