A long-time source of division at Pride movements around the world has led to parade shut-downs and demonstrations, most recently in Toronto

Last November, Israel’s official social media accounts shared a photo of a smiling Israeli soldier proudly holding a rainbow flag amid the rubble in Gaza, where over 10,000 Palestinians – mostly women and children – had been killed in the weeks following October 7.

Written upon the multi-coloured flag – an iconic, decades-old symbol of LGBTQ+ pride – in English, Arabic and Hebrew, were the words “In The Name Of Love.”

The image quickly went viral. The soldier, a 31-year-old gay man, explained to the media that the Israeli military was “the only army in the Middle East that protects democratic values… it is the only army that allows LGBT people the freedom to be who they are, and therefore I fully believe in our goal.”

Meanwhile, on Instagram, Israel’s account described the image as an “attempt to raise the first pride flag in Gaza as a call for peace and freedom.”

But for many LGBTQ+ activists, and those struggling for Palestinian liberation, the incident represented an almost perfect example of “pinkwashing” – a term that refers to a state or organization’s attempts to use LGBTQ+ rights and symbols to distract or deflect attention from its harmful practices.

  • VirtualOdourEnglish
    412·
    4 months ago

    I hope hamas can be defeated and the people of Palestine can be free from their oppression and propaganda. I was brought up being told it’s the job of the strong to protect the weak and we can’t fool ourselves into being tolerant to the intolerant. Its hard making difficult choices especially against enemies who use human shields and lies but the IDF are making the area a better place so history will respect them regardless of what agents and fools say now.

    • roboto@feddit.orgEnglish
      101·
      4 months ago

      How exactly does the IDF make the Gaza Strip a better place through making it inhabitable and genociding its population?

      Apart from that the IDF is using human shields and lies on a daily basis. What is this?

      • VirtualOdourEnglish
        12·
        4 months ago

        Yes I imagine it is confusing if that’s your perspective, maybe view news from outside your extremeist bubble and other people will start making sense to you.