Ad promotes Israel’s LGBTQ rights record, condemns neighbours

A full-page advertisement published in The New York Times this week is promoting Israel as a safe place for members of the LGBTQ community, while also condemning the alleged actions of the country’s neighbours.

Designed by pro-Israel advocacy groups Stand With Us and This World: The Values Network, the ad features the testimony of Rennick Remley, a gay American who says he would be “thrown in jail, mutilated, or killed” if he lived in Gaza or the countries neighbouring Israel. Remley criticises those who would “scapegoat Israel” for alleged human rights abuses but “remain silent about the oppression and violence Hamas, Iran and other Middle East countries inflict on the gay community”, saying “shame on you”.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, founder of This World: The Values Network, posted a Facebook message on Tuesday saying the ad is meant to show Israel “as a place where gay men and women encounter safety, dignity, and human rights”. 

Responding to Rabbi Shmuley’s post, some people called the advertisement an example of “pinkwashing“.