MK Amir Ohana (Likud) is part of the move to revoke anti-Israeli B’Tselem NGO’s right to receive interns from the National Service, where Israeli young men and women are invited to serve instead of enlisting in the IDF. B’Tselem, along with Peace Now’s US branch, have caught the wrath of Israeli politicians on both sides of the aisle when the testified last Friday before a non-binding UN Security Council session against the Jewish settlements in the liberated territories. Regardless of the arguments both groups were making, the fact that they chose to testify against their own country before a forum that included some of the most vile regimes on the planet disqualified them, in the view of most Israelis, from receiving any state support whatsoever.
Ohana tweeted: “How many Israeli citizens are aware of the fact that the state (through the National Service) provides manpower to B’Teselem? How did we get so screwed up? I was glad to hear the PM supports my proposed legislation to end this absurd situation.”
So former journalist Mia Bengel, who served as senior advisor to former Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (then with her own The Movement party, formerly in the Kadima party, before that in Likud and now in the Zionist Camp), in response: “How many Israeli citizens are aware that there’s an MK who does not find it absurd for a homosexual to try and damage human rights organizations?”
Yes, we neglected to mention that MK Ohana is a declared homosexual and member in good standing of the Likud party. No one in Likud thought there was anything wrong about it, but, as it turns out, on the Israeli left you lose your gay license as soon as you join a rightwing party. Or, as Ravit Rita Bar tweeted: “I’m a rightwing lesbian, I vote Likud and support the Great Eretz Israel idea. Do I have your permission?” And Lilac Sigan tweeted: “Excuse me, but what human rights? They’ve long since forgotten what that means, they haven’t been in that category for a long time.”
MK Ohana went on the offensive, tweeting: “Only useful idiots like you consider B’Tselem, which defends Hamas, which throws homosexuals off the rooftops, a ‘human rights’ organization.” And he added for good measure, “Small former journalist.” Probably for the homosexual insult.
Bengel reacted: “Oy, and I was sure that a useful idiot is more like being a homosexual in Likud, voting against himself in return for a lentil stew of popularity and nausea.” This was a rather astute criticism of Ohana, who tends to be absent from votes where the coalition, of which he is a member, proposes anti-gay measures. This isn’t a frequent occurrence, mind you, but when it happens, gay activists don’t forgive it easily.
Michelle Hellm demanded (tongue in cheek) that the state revoke Ohana’s gay license. Ariel Plaskin expressed his revulsion at Bengel’s essentially bigoted idea that Homosexuals can’t belong to rightwing parties, and the debate is still raging.
Finally, the spokesperson for the Embassy of Israel in London, Yiftah Curiel, mentioned in the same Twitter debate that on the eve of Yom Kippur, October 11, which also happened to be National Coming Out Day in the US, “someone” at the Israeli embassy in London raised the rainbow flag together with the Israeli national flag. Considering the fact that the Jewish nation read together on the following afternoon a portion of the Book of Leviticus that outlaws just that sort of hanky panky, should someone alert the authorities?