Israel's Pride pinkwashing can't mask its occupation of Palestine

While LGBTQ+ Israelis celebrate Pride Month this June, Palestinians across the occupied territories continue to suffer the injustice and violence of the occupation. In 2023 alone, Israel has already killed more than 160 Palestinians.

In Israel, LGBTQ+ Pride Month has long been a strategy - dubbed “pinkwashing” - to mask the horrors of the occupation. The state’s celebration of LGBTQ+ identities and the excess of publicity that comes with it serve to create a false image of Israel as a democratic and liberal nation.

This year, the Israeli government is contradicting this LGBTQ+-friendly image more than ever before, with ultra-right politicians openly expressing their homophobia.

This Pride Month, Israel’s true colours are shining through. No amount of pride parades will mask the policing and horrific violence the Israeli state is inflicting on Palestinians — or the dangers of its anti-democratic rule for even its own citizens.

"Israel's so-called pride in LGBTQ+ rights is marred by the blood of Palestinians murdered by Israeli soldiers, and the violation of Palestinian rights at Israeli checkpoints everyday"

Pride Month in Israel

The media has been quick to point out that Pride Month may feel a bit different for Israelis this year. Israel’s new government is composed of far-right, ultra-orthodox (and ultra-Zionist) politicians.

Some ministers have openly expressed anti-LGBTQ+ views, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calling himself a “fascist homophobe.” Liberal Israelis are concerned about rising homophobia and the potential erosion of the country’s so-called democratic freedoms.

But despite what Israel apologists might have you believe, this government is not altogether different from governments of Israel’s past. And for Palestinians, including those who are queer, Israel’s government has never resembled anything close to a “democracy.”

Even with the new government in power, the usual Pride celebrations are taking place in Tel Aviv this month. Unsurprisingly, Israel has continued to pursue its public relations strategy of pinkwashing. Opposition leaders are voicing public support for the community, likening LGBTQ+ equality to the country’s supposed democratic values.

Meanwhile, Israel is spreading its message abroad, glossing over the political tensions at home. This month, the Israeli embassy in the US raised a pride flag in “dedication to inclusivity, equality, and the celebration of diversity.”

Pinkwashing is also something we have covered extensively (including in the article in the previous tweet) and is something that needs to be discussed during #PrideMonth. This piece by @fahad_s_ali from last Nov on the MQFF controversy is another example: https://t.co/XhIT56RHaX

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) June 28, 2022

Israel is also using social media to publicise its claims of support for equality throughout Pride Month. Israel’s official twitter account posted photos of a pride parade in Tel Aviv, describing it as “a vibrant symbol of love, equality and acceptance.”

The city of Tel Aviv’s official Twitter account posted pride-themed content and even changed its logo to the pride flag colours. The Israeli military tweeted out the message “we are #proud to #serve” on the first day of Pride Month and posted an accompanying video on Instagram.

Pinkwashing provides a cover for Western nations like the US to support and align with Israel. The US entertainment industry often perpetuates pinkwashing, with queer-themed shows like the “Last of Us” promoting pro-Israeli sentiment.

Another recent example is the current season of “Queen of the Universe,” a global singing competition that casts drag queens from around the world. The show features an Israeli drag queen lauding Tel Aviv as one of the “gayest [cities] in the world.”

Whether through news, entertainment, or photos plastered across Instagram and Twitter, Israel’s image of equality is not real. Israel’s so-called pride in LGBTQ+ rights is marred by the blood of Palestinians murdered by Israeli soldiers, and the violation of Palestinian rights at Israeli checkpoints everyday.

June in Occupied Palestine

For many Palestinians, June is just another month of living under occupation, with threats of violence and attacks on basic freedoms remaining an everyday reality. As liberal Israelis fear that their democracy is under threat, Palestinians fear for their lives and the lives of their children.

On the first day of June, a two-and-a-half -year-old Palestinian boy Mohammed al-Tamimi was shot in the head by Israel soldiers in the West Bank. He died in the hospital 4 days later. Mohammed was one of 27 Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces in the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank this year.

For over a decade, Israel has strategically marketed itself to the world as a democratic and LGBTQ+-friendly haven in the Middle East. And for over a decade, queer Palestinian activists have called out this practice as pinkwashing, highlighting Israel’s perpetual violation of Palestinian human rights. It is time that the world listens.

As Israel tries to cover its crimes with rainbow flags, pro-Palestinian activists are demanding that the international community stops letting them get away with it. In May, LGBTQ+ pop icon Sam Smith canceled a concert to take place in Tel Aviv after pro-Palestinian activists called them out for participating in Israel’s agenda.

"For over a decade, Israel has strategically marketed itself to the world as a democratic and LGBTQ+-friendly haven in the Middle East. And for over a decade, queer Palestinian activists have called out this practice as pinkwashing"

As Israel’s pinkwashing strategies become more transparent and less effective, it is time to reevaluate what true democracy looks like. And it is necessary to centre the needs of Palestinians in discussions of any kind of equality in the occupier state of Israel.

The movement for LGBTQ+ liberation and the movement for Palestinian liberation are interconnected. Freedom for some is not true freedom. And an anti-democratic state that denies rights to some will also deny rights to others - including its own people.

It’s about time we recognize the fight for LGBTQ+ equality and Palestinian liberation are both about the same thing — liberation and the right to self-determination.

Alainna Liloia is a researcher and writer specializing in human rights and women’s issues in the Arab world. She holds a PhD in Middle Eastern and North African studies.

Follow her on Twitter: @missalainneous

Have questions or comments? Email us at: editorial-english@newarab.com.

Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The New Arab, its editorial board or staff.