Why hypocritical Israel has stayed silent on homophobic Uganda
Haaretz (blog) - 19 hours ago
By Yishai Halper | Aug. 31, 2013 | 10:40 AM |  2
Haaretz reported last week that Israel, unlike other Western
countries, has refused to condemn Uganda for a new law that recently
went into effect there. The legislation imposes long prison sentences
(even life imprisonment in certain cases) on men who have sexual
relations with each other, criminal sanctions for failure to report
gay men, and stricter punishments on sexual relations between women.
Many Western countries condemned the new law, with some even
announcing that they will no longer provide economic aid to Uganda.
But none of this is Israel's business.
The State of Israel has economic and defense relations with Uganda
and, just as important, is trying to reach an agreement in which
Uganda will serve as its trash bin for asylum seekers from Sudan and
Eritrea.
As part of the agreement, the asylum seekers will be sent along with
money and weapons to the Ugandan government, which has a place of
honor on the global Corruption Perceptions Index.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu never fails to mention on every
international stage that Israel is a paradise for gays (though not
necessarily for all members of the LGBT community).
He is also careful to emphasize the difference between Israel and its
neighbors in this respect, to strengthen Israel's image as a villa of
culture in the heart of the barbarian jungle. But it seems that
condemning countries that violate the human rights of LGBT people is
solely a tactical matter.
But really, why should we be surprised? When it comes to black members
of the LGBT community, Israel does not care what happens to them – no
matter whether they are here or in Africa.
Even though every Western country recognizes that persecution on the
basis of sexual preference or gender identity justifies granting
protection according to the UN Refugee Convention, and have recognized
many gay refugees, the State of Israel has not recognized even one
LGBY asylum seeker to date.
It's not as if none have sought asylum. In recent years, the Interior
Ministry has dealt with an abundance of asylum requests from gay
people who fled for their lives. These asylum seekers come from
countries such as Nigeria, Sudan, Eritrea and Morocco, which have a
rich record of persecution of gay people.
They asked Israel not to send them back to countries where their lives
are in danger. So far, though, all these requests – without a single
exception – have been either turned down or never even examined.
The minutes of the committee that discusses asylum requests in Israel
show that the stance of Eitan Margalit – the Foreign Ministry's
representative on the committee – and that of Anat Tsin – the
representative of the Interior Ministry – is that the Refugee
Convention does not apply to gay people at all. In other words, they
are invited to return to the countries where danger awaits them.
Other minutes of committee meetings show that Ariela Kalai, the
Justice Ministry's representative on the committee, believes that
while the rape of a human being in an African country as punishment
for being gay is an "unfortunate" and "negative" experience, it is not
a severe enough violation of human rights to warrant protecting the
person against deportation.
The Interior Ministry will always find a reason to turn down asylum
requests from men and women claiming persecution on the basis of
sexual preference or gender identity.
Sometimes, the officials responsible for looking into the asylum
requests simply refuse to believe that the applicant is gay.
Sometimes, they roll their eyes and claim that the countries with
proven records of violating the human rights of gay people are
actually wonderful places for sexual minorities.
Once they have run through all the excuses, they return to the point
of origin: Israel is simply not willing to apply the Refugee
Convention to gay people, so they are invited to return to places that
are dangerous for them.
When it comes to Palestinian asylum seekers, things are even worse.
Israel, in a clear violation of the Refugee Convention, is completely
unwilling to look into asylum applications of people who claim to be
in danger in Palestinian Authority territory.
In several cases that reached the courts – cases where Palestinians
claimed they had been abused in the territories because of their
sexual preference – the state responded that, while the lives of gay
people in the Palestinian Authority "were not easy or pleasant," this
did not mean the state had to refrain from moving them from a place
where they faced danger.
If an asylum seeker from Uganda would arrive in Israel claiming that
his life or liberty is in danger because of his sexual preference, the
state will not hesitate to send him back.
So it is hard to be surprised that Israel has not joined the
condemnation of the Ugandan government and mumbles vague utterances
when asked to comment on the matter.
Such a condemnation would mix up the various functions that Israel has
set for each one of the pieces in this game: LGBT persons are a
propaganda tool for selling Israel as an enlightened country and
portraying our neighbors as beasts in human form; Uganda is a trash
dump for the black mass that darkens our visual field and a site for
weapons trafficking. We must not confuse the two.
Attorney Yonatan Berman is is a volunteer for the Hotline for Refugees
and Migrants
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