One persecuted group unlikely to find support from United Nations 'human rights' advocates consists of Palestinian homosexual males. Subject to torture and death at the hands of the Palestinian police authorities, not to mention their own families, gay males frequently flee to Israel, which signed a 1951 UN human rights declaration that it would offer refuge to those persecuted for their sexual orientation.

The JTA news service carries a report on the condition of Palestinian homosexual males who have sought freedom and safety in Israel. Some resort to prostitution, while others establish themselves in a household with their lover, and pursue a normal career.

Israel's Interior Ministry states that any gay Palestinian can apply to remain in Israel indefinitely if persecution is proven, but the ministry provides no figures on how many such applications have been filed. Those who enter illegally are subject to deportation, which unfortunately means torture or death.

Ironically, the very forces which persecute them have sought to turn homosexuals into fighters for their cause:

One 19—year—old runaway told Israel's Channel One TV that the Al—Aksa Brigade, the terrorist wing of the Palestinians' mainstream Fatah movement, tried to pressure him into becoming a suicide bomber to 'purge his moral guilt.' He refused and fled to an Arab village in Israel's Galilee region....

Human rights observers suggest that Palestinian homosexuals, fearing for their lives if exposed, are especially vulnerable to Shin Bet blackmail. But a veteran handler of collaborators, Menachem Landau, denied this.

'Gays are already treated with suspicion in Palestinian society,' Landau said in an interview. 'So what good are they for covert work?'

JTA reports that many Palestinian homosexuals in Israel adopt the appearance of Jews, wearing Star of David medallions, learning Hebrew, and otherwise blending in with those who respect their human rights.

Posted by Thomas  01 03 04