The US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is presently on a two-day visit to the state of Israel. He will be addressing the Israeli Parliament later in the day today. Kevin McCarthy will meet his Israeli counterpart Amir Ohana in Jerusalem.

US Speaker McCarthy to address Israeli Parliament, meets Israeli speaker in Jerusalem | WION

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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".</p>

<p>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/around-40-per-cent-of-kyiv-population-left-without-power-after-russian-strikes-547670">Around 40 per cent of Kyiv population left without power after Russian strikes</a></p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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".</p>

<p>"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.</p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>


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.

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". Also read | Around 40 per cent of Kyiv population left without power after Russian strikes 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. 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.

Amir Ohana becomes Israel's first openly gay speaker of parliament

<p>Several&nbsp;Israeli&nbsp;school districts held impromptu tolerance classes on Sunday after the country's&nbsp;education&nbsp;minister, an Orthodox rabbi, angered <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/asias-first-lgbt-focused-streaming-service-tackles-taboos-one-film-at-a-time-270940">LGBT</a> campaigners by implying&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/indias-first-openly-gay-prince-celebrating-world-pride-in-nyc-231667">homosexuality</a>&nbsp;was&nbsp;unnatural.</p>

<p>The furore over the remarks by&nbsp;Education&nbsp;Minister&nbsp;Rafael Peretz, who last year spoke favourably about gay "<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/many-lgbtq-people-in-china-forced-into-illegal-conversion-therapy-groups-263636">conversion therapy</a>", a widely discredited method, reached into the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-has-right-to-self-defence-says-israels-benjamin-netanyahu-after-soleimanis-killing-271977">Israeli&nbsp;cabinet</a>, one of whose members is openly homosexual.</p>

<p>Asked by the weekend edition of the top-selling Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper what he would do if one his children had a "different sexual orientation", Peretz said: "Thank God, my children grew up in a natural and healthy way. They are building their homes on the basis of Jewish values. I don't bother my head with 'what if' thinking."</p>

<p>Several&nbsp;Israeli&nbsp;municipalities said they would open the new school week with tolerance classes in response.</p>

<p>"I will promote within the municipal&nbsp;educational system a programme of democracy, equality, recognition of the other and acceptance of differences. In short, everything that is the opposite of Rabbi Rafi," Amir Kochavi, mayor of the city of Hod Hasharon near <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-will-punish-americans-wherever-they-are-within-its-reach-guards-commander-272154">Tel Aviv</a>, said on Facebook.</p>

<p>Peretz, who heads the ultra-nationalist Jewish Home party, assumed the&nbsp;education&nbsp;portfolio within Prime&nbsp;Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israels-pm-benjamin-netanyahu-in-apparent-stumble-calls-israel-a-nuclear-power-272310">Benjamin Netanyahu's</a> conservative coalition government in June.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="rtl" lang="iw">אני מגנה את דבריו האומללים של השר פרץ, ולא בפעם הראשונה. התבטאויותיו אינן משקפות את עמדת הממשלה.<br />
<br />
זהו קרב מאסף של קולות שלשמחתי הולכים ומתמעטים בציבור הרחב. גדלתי במשפחה בריאה, טובה ואוהבת, כך גדלים גם ילדיי וילדיהם של להט״בים רבים בכל חלקי הארץ, המצויים על כל הספקטרום הפוליטי. <a href="https://t.co/S3EN54JJIC">pic.twitter.com/S3EN54JJIC</a></p>
— אמיר אוחנה (@AmirOhana) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmirOhana/status/1216109139023233024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Justice&nbsp;Minister&nbsp;Amir Ohana, a member of Netanyahu's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israel-pm-netanyahu-wins-likud-party-leadership-race-270464">Likud party</a> who has children with a same-sex partner, condemned his cabinet colleague's remarks as "wretched, and not for the first time," adding that they "do not reflect the government's position".</p>

<p>"I grew up in a healthy, good and loving family, as are my children and the children of many LGBTs from all parts of the country, from all over the political spectrum," Ohana tweeted.</p>


Several Israeli school districts held impromptu tolerance classes on Sunday after the country's education minister, an Orthodox rabbi, angered LGBT campaigners by implying homosexuality was unnatural.

Several Israeli school districts held impromptu tolerance classes on Sunday after the country's education minister, an Orthodox rabbi, angered LGBT campaigners by implying homosexuality was unnatural. The furore over the remarks by Education Minister Rafael Peretz, who last year spoke favourably about gay "conversion therapy", a widely discredited method, reached into the Israeli cabinet, one of whose members is openly homosexual. Asked by the weekend edition of the top-selling Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper what he would do if one his children had a "different sexual orientation", Peretz said: "Thank God, my children grew up in a natural and healthy way. They are building their homes on the basis of Jewish values. I don't bother my head with 'what if' thinking." Several Israeli municipalities said they would open the new school week with tolerance classes in response. "I will promote within the municipal educational system a programme of democracy, equality, recognition of the other and acceptance of differences. In short, everything that is the opposite of Rabbi Rafi," Amir Kochavi, mayor of the city of Hod Hasharon near Tel Aviv, said on Facebook. Peretz, who heads the ultra-nationalist Jewish Home party, assumed the education portfolio within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conservative coalition government in June. אני מגנה את דבריו האומללים של השר פרץ, ולא בפעם הראשונה. התבטאויותיו אינן משקפות את עמדת הממשלה. זהו קרב מאסף של קולות שלשמחתי הולכים ומתמעטים בציבור הרחב. גדלתי במשפחה בריאה, טובה ואוהבת, כך גדלים גם ילדיי וילדיהם של להט״בים רבים בכל חלקי הארץ, המצויים על כל הספקטרום הפוליטי. pic.twitter.com/S3EN54JJIC — אמיר אוחנה (@AmirOhana) January 11, 2020 × Justice Minister Amir Ohana, a member of Netanyahu's Likud party who has children with a same-sex partner, condemned his cabinet colleague's remarks as "wretched, and not for the first time," adding that they "do not reflect the government's position". "I grew up in a healthy, good and loving family, as are my children and the children of many LGBTs from all parts of the country, from all over the political spectrum," Ohana tweeted.

Israeli education minister Rafael Peretz implies homosexuality 'unnatural'

amir-ohana

Amir Ohana, News on Amir Ohana, stories on Amir Ohana, articles on Amir Ohana, Amir Ohana stories at Wion, Amir Ohana news, Amir Ohana latest news

amir ohana

US Speaker McCarthy to address Israeli Parliament, meets Israeli speaker in Jerusalem | WION

Amir Ohana becomes Israel's first openly gay speaker of parliament

Israeli education minister Rafael Peretz implies homosexuality 'unnatural'