On October 9, 2023, a video was published on Facebook where the author talks about Israel. According to the video, same-sex marriage and adoption are legal in Israel, and the video also notes that a law was recently passed banning the mention of Jesus in Israel. The beginning of the video also shows a statue that is referred to as an “idol” and is said to have been worshiped by Jews prior to the Hamas attack on the festival. The Israel Festival statue has been compared to a monument at Lake Lisi that was vandalized by homophobic groups in July.
The claim that the mention of Jesus in Israel is forbidden by law is disinformation. The statement that same-sex marriage and adoption of children are legal in the country is also manipulative. Israel recognizes marriages registered outside the country, but it is illegal for LGBTQ+ people to marry inside the country. The statue placed at the festival is a Buddha sculpture and has nothing to do with the structure located on Lisi Lake.
It is not Banned to Mention Jesus in Israel
On January 9, 2023, two members of the Israeli parliament, from a far-right party, introduced a bill that would make it punishable by law to preach a religion for the purpose of changing another’s religion. The main target of this project was Christians, and therefore, if the law was to be approved, spreading the preachings of Jesus would become punishable, namely, 1 year in prison for converting an adult, and 2 years in the case of a minor. The leaders of Israel and other countries had a sharp reaction to this, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu soon announced that Israel would not accept the law, which was the case as well. As Moshe Gafni, one of the submitters of the draft law, stated, he simply registered the law procedurally, and his plans did not include reviewing it and taking further steps.
Can LGBTQ+ People Get Married in Israel?
Same-sex couples are not allowed to marry in Israel, although, since 2006, the state recognizes marriages registered abroad. In 2018, the Knesset (Israeli parliament) discussed a draft law on the legalization of same-sex marriage, although the majority of MPs did not support the law.
According to the current legislation, only a husband and wife can adopt a child in Israel. However, the court has the right to allow an unmarried person to adopt a child, even if that person has a partner of the same sex. It should be noted that in this case, the partner is not legally considered a parent. In 2023, the Knesset discussed legislation on legalizing the adoption of children by same-sex couples, but the legislative body also rejected the project.
The Statue of the Festival
The claims made in the video about the “idol” are conspiratorial, and the statue at the festival in Israel has no connection to the structure vandalized by homophobic groups at Lake Lisi in Georgia. In Israel, a large statue of Buddha is captured in the footage of the Negev desert, and the construction standing on Lisi Lake was inspired by the book “Anunnaki” by the Georgian writer, Irakli Keidia, and was created with the participation of Keidia himself. See detailed information about the mentioned topic in the “Myth Detector” article:
Source: BBC
Archive link: Tkh Goga
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