Dozens of Israelis rallied outside of Israel Police Tel Aviv District headquarters this week to protest the police’s failure to charge perpetrators of homophobic hate crimes. The demonstration was organized by NIF grantee The Aguda – Israel’s LGBT Task Force.

Since the openly homophobic Itamar Ben-Gvir was appointed Minister of National Security, there has been a marked increase in the number of homophobic incidents — in just the last month, according to The Aguda’s reports, incidents have increased fourfold.

Furthermore, the Israeli police have closed many cases of homophobic activity without charging anyone, despite clear evidence. For example, the police recently closed a case against individuals who threw stones at a house flying a rainbow flag even though there was clear documentation of the incident. In another example from earlier this week, a gay couple was physically assaulted in their home. This sharp rise in violence has made many in Israel’s LGBTQ+ community feel unsafe.   

In a statement, The Aguda said: “We will not tolerate a situation where we are not safe and secure within our own country. We will not allow a situation in which the police line up behind the most homophobic government in the history of the country and adopt the policies of the commander. We demand full security on the streets for each and every one of us. We demand the police to act against any homophobic attack and not to allow our blood to be shed.”