Amir Ohana becomes Israel's first openly gay speaker of parliament
Amir Ohana
Former minister Amir Ohana created history on Tuesday by becoming the first openly gay speaker of parliament in Israel. He was given the coveted position as the new government under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in. Ohana had previously served as the justice minister in 2019 in the Netanyahu cabinet and he has been a member of parliament since 2015.
During the election for speaker of parliament, Ohana received 63 votes in favour, five against while one lawmaker decided to abstain from voting. Thanks to the result, he became the third most powerful political figure in the country – only after the Prime Minister and the President.
The appointment of Ohana holds special significance after the ruling Likud Party went into an alliance with Avi Maoz, the leader of the Noam party, who is notorious for his anti-LGBTQ views.
Maoz will be appointed deputy minister in charge of "Jewish identity" as part of the agreement between the two parties. Earlier, he said that he will "study the legal avenues to cancel Gay Pride".
Same-sex relationships have been a point of discussion in Israel for quite some time with a part of the political leaders leaning towards acceptance.
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The United States ambassador to Israel – Tom Nides – also said that the government "on its actions rather than on the declarations of certain politicians in the campaign".
"I've been to gay pride, I've marched in Jerusalem, I've marched in Tel Aviv and I plan to march again. There's no doubt in my mind that there will be another gay pride in Jerusalem," Nides told Israeli newspaper Haaretz.