ISRAEL – The speaker of the Israeli Knesset, Reuven Rivlin, has angered conservative Knesset members (MKs) for stating that he plans to meet gay community leaders during gay Pride month.
Nissim Ze’ev, an MK, said, “I am astonished over the Knesset speaker’s decision to host so-called gay families. I can’t understand his motive.”
The Jerusalem Post reported that Ze’ev described the event, which was organized for the third year in a row by Meretz MK Nitzan Horowitz and will include gay celebrities, as “an insult to the Knesset’s honor, and an insult to Muslims and to traditional Jews who obey mitzvoth.” Ze’ev added, “Honoring the gay community in the Knesset encourages the destruction of the family unit and reveals the dark side of society.”
Ze’ev continued, “The Knesset should direct these people to starting families and continue in the traditions of Judaism and of mankind, instead of encouraging them to go in negative directions.”
A spokesperson for Rivlin’s office said in a statement, “The conference has taken place every year for the past three years, and the Knesset speaker accepts every group and every opinion. Rivlin plans to say a few words to the group, and that is all.”
