‘Death Threat’ To Palestinian Gays
Homosexuals are accused of collaborating with Israel
BBC,
March 6, 2003
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news
Civil rights campaigners in Israel are trying to stop the
deportation of a Palestinian homosexual back to the Gaza Strip, where they say
he faces death threats.
They are appealing to the Israeli Supreme Court to
overturn the order against the man.
Campaigners say the 21-year-old fled to Israel four years
ago after being arrested and tortured by Palestinian police because of his
sexuality.
They say he is one of nine Palestinian homosexuals
arrested in Israel over the past two months as part of a crackdown on
Palestinians who have entered the country illegally.
On Thursday, two Palestinian homosexuals were reportedly
sent back to the West Bank after sheltering in Israel for the past two years.
A spokesman from the Israeli Society for the Protection
of Personal Rights (SPPR) said that until recently Israeli authorities had
turned a blind eye to Palestinian homosexuals who had fled to Israel in fear
of their lives.
It is indescribable how bad life is for these people
Shaul Gonen, Society for the Protection of Personal
Rights
The society says it is looking after 25 Palestinian
homosexuals who sought refuge in Israel after being persecuted in their
communities.
“They fall between all the chairs,” Shaul Gonen told
BBC News Online. “Nobody wants to take care of them.”
“It is indescribable how bad life is for these
people,” he said.
‘Collaborators’
He warned that if the 21-year-old Palestinian homosexual
is deported to the Gaza Strip on Sunday, “there is no way that he is going
to stay alive there”.
Mr Gonen said the man fled from Gaza to the West Bank
four years ago after escaping from Palestinian police custody, but his own
family tracked him down and tried to kill him, so he ran away to Israel.
Now, he said, his life is in danger again.
“In the West Bank and Gaza, it is common knowledge that
if you are homosexual you are necessarily a collaborator with Israel.
“The fact he has been in Israel for so long and not
deported until now—now they are sure he is a collaborator.”
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