Hebrew Anti-gay Facebook Page Hacked and Turned into Pro-gay Forum
HAARETZ: A user on social networking site Facebook managed on Wednesday to hack into an anti-gay group on the popular site, and change it into a pro-gay forum complete with homoerotic photos and videos.

The original group, "I also hate gays" had attracted over a 150 users and a spawn of copycat groups after it was started days after a shooting at a Tel Aviv gay center that left two dead and over a dozen wounded.

The group had featured a manifesto calling on people to join "if you don't care what happened on Saturday night, if you are tired of gay people talking about their sexual deviation" and saying its goal was to attract people looking to "shut-up Israel's homosexual community"

The group had featured a manifesto calling on people to join "if you don't care what happened on Saturday night, if you are tired of gay people talking about their sexual deviation" and saying its goal was to attract people looking to "shut-up Israel's homosexual community" >>> Benjamin L. Hartman, Haaretz Correspondent | Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Police Hunt Israel Gay Club Shooter
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: Hundreds of police officers are scouring the streets of Tel Aviv today in a manhunt for a gunman who shot and killed two people at a youth club in the worst ever attack on homosexuals in Israel.

The Tel Aviv shooting shocked the Mediterranean city, which prides itself on its live-and-let-live attitude and boasts a thriving gay community. The brazen attack drew condemnations from the city's mayor, from Cabinet ministers, the country's chief rabbis and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"We'll bring him to justice and exercise the full extent of the law against him," Netanyahu said of the killer, speaking at the Israeli Cabinet's weekly meeting. >>> AP | Sunday, August 02, 2009

Hundreds Turn Out in Tel Aviv to Protest Murders at Gay Center
HAARETZ: Hundreds of Israelis turned out in Tel Aviv on Sunday to protest an attack on the previous day in which a masked gunman opened fire inside a gay and lesbian youth center, killing two people and wounding 15.

A number of politicians spoke at the event, which took place at the intersection of Rothschild St. and Nachmani St., only meters away from the site of the shooting.

MK Shelly Yachimovich (Labor) told the crowd: "The pistol did not act on its own, the gunman did not act on his own - what stood behind him was incitement and hatred."

"The fact that there are wounded children lying in the hospital whose parents won't visit them says everything."

Nitzan Horowitz, Israel's only openly gay lawmaker, said: "If anybody thinks we'll be afraid, they are wrong. If anybody thinks we'll sit down and take this quietly, they are wrong."

Opposition leader Tzipi Livni also addressed the event, which had been billed as a protest against hate crime and homophobia.

"This should be a day of self reflection, not only for all of you but for all of us," she said. "This is not only a great day of pain for you but it is a day of pain for all of us."

The rally took place as hundreds of police officers scoured the streets of Tel Aviv on Sunday in a door-to-door manhunt for the gunman, who fled the center after the attack.

Outside the center, a bouquet of flowers rested on the curb near barricades erected by police and a sign reading, "Stop Homophobia."

MK Yuli Tamir (Labor), a former education minister, called on the school system to make efforts to fight homophobia.

"Teachers must open their doors and open their ears to these children who need them," she told the crowd.

MK Dov Khenin (Hadash) said the attack highlighted problems within Israeli society.

"A state that expels children should not be surprised when things like this happen... People shouldn't fool themselves to think they live in a protected bubble," he said, referring to a plan to deport migrant workers and their children from Israel. Peres: An enlightened people cannot accept this type of murder >>> Ben Hartman, Yuval Goren, Noah Kosharek and Barak Ravid | Sunday, August 02, 2009

TAGES ANZEIGER: Blutbad in Schwulentreff – drei Tote

Bei einem Angriff auf ein Homosexuellen-Zentrum in Tel Aviv sind gestern Abend drei Menschen getötet und mindestens zehn weitere verletzt worden.

Drei Tote, viele Verletzte: Schwulen-Feindlichkeit als mögliches Motiv.
Bild: Tages Anzeiger
Nach Angaben der israelischen Rettungsdienste starben ein junger Mann und eine junge Frau sofort. Ein drittes Opfer erlag im Spital seinen Verletzungen. Einer der Verletzten schwebte in der Nacht zum Sonntag in Lebensgefahr.

Der maskierte, ganz in schwarz gekleidete Täter konnte unerkannt fliehen. Er hatte mit einer Schnellfeuerwaffe in eine vor dem Treffpunkt stehende Menschengruppe gefeuert. Nach Angaben von Augenzeugen versuchte der Angreifer, auch noch eine nahegelegene Schwulenbar anzugreifen. Wachposten verwehrten ihm jedoch den Zutritt. >>> bru/sda | Sonntag, 02 August 2009

LE FIGARO.fr: Fusillade mortelle dans un centre gay de Tel-Aviv

Un inconnu a ouvert le feu samedi soir dans le sous-sol d'une association homosexuelle fréquentée par des adolescents, tuant deux personnes et en blessant quinze, avant de prendre la fuite. Les organisations gays dénoncent un crime homophobe.

La communauté homosexuelle est sous le choc en Israël après la fusillade mortelle qui a ciblé samedi soir une association gay et lesbienne de Tel-Aviv. Un inconnu a ouvert le feu à l'arme automatique dans le sous-sol de l'association, qui abritait la réunion de soutien hebdomadaire d'un groupe d'adolescents. Un jeune homme de 24 ans et une jeune femme de 17 ans ont été tués sur le coup. Quinze autres participants ont été blessés dont deux grièvement, précise le site du journal israélien Haaretz. Le tireur a pris la fuite à pied, immédiatement après l'attaque. La police le recherche activement et fait du porte-à-porte auprès des habitants de Tel-Aviv.

«Il était 22h40 lorsque quelqu'un, habillé en noir et le visage dissimulé par un masque de ski, est entré dans le sous sol. Au début j'ai pensé à une plaisanterie mais il a immédiatement tiré. Personne n'a crié. On s'est jeté sous les lits et les tables . La salle était petite, hormis la terrasse, on ne peut se cacher nulle part», confiait un des adolescents blessés au Haaretz. «Je suis horrifié de penser que mes parents vont découvrir mon homosexualité à cause de cette attaque», regrette le jeune homme de 16 ans touché au genou et à la poitrine. «Le centre était très convivial, on discutait et on écoutait de la musique».

Des représentants de la communauté homosexuelle se sont déclarés convaincus qu'il s'agissait d'une attaque homophobe, rappelant que dans le passé des croix gammées avaient été peintes à l'entrée du centre. La police israélienne a confirmé que ce club, situé à l'angle des rues Ahad Haam et Nachmani, en plein cœur de la ville, n'avait pas été attaqué par des terroristes. «Nous n'en sommes qu'au premier stade de l'enquête, le centre n'avait pas reçu récemment de menaces», a affirmé le chef de la police de Tel Aviv, le commandant Shahar Ayalon. Voulant éviter tout autre bain de sang, l'officier a décidé la fermeture samedi soir d'un des bars homosexuels voisins et demandé à tous ces établissements de se montrer particulièrement vigilants. >>> C.J. (lefigaro.fr) avec AP et AFP | Dimanche 02 Août 2009

Rabbis Condemn Anti-gay Shooting
YNET NEWS: Chief Rabbinate says appalled at 'unthinkable, vile crime' that left two dead. Gay Orthodox rabbi calls on public leaders to denounce attack

The Chief Rabbinate expressed shock and outrage at the Tel Aviv shooting at a gay youth center Saturday evening, calling it "an unthinkable, vile crime." In a statement published Sunday the Rabbinate said that, "When Moses saw a Jew beating another Jew he called him evil. This is all the more true when a Jew murders a Jew."

Meanwhile, the Hod organization for Orthodox gay men strongly condemned "the horrible massacre committed against the gay and lesbian community in Tel Aviv," conveyed its condolences to the victims' families and wished speedy recovery to those who were injured.

Rabbi Ron Yosef, a homosexual Orthodox rabbi who runs the organization, told Ynet that he has been receiving threats on his life in the last year. >>> Kobi Nahshoni | Sunday, August 02, 2009

YNET NEWS: Opinion: Pride and Prejudice

Despite liberal image, fear and hatred ever-present on Tel Aviv’s streets

Friday night on Tel Aviv’s beachfront promenade; two guys holding hands, standing at the shoreline, and kissing. Three men pass by and swear at them; one man spits. Tel Aviv, Israel’s liberalism capital, the city that openly celebrates pride parades and markets gay tourism packages worldwide; a city whose leaders inaugurate gay centers, but cannot defend us from our greatest enemy – fear and hatred.

This shooting attack, should it turn out it was indeed directed at the homo-lesbian community, is not a unique event; it’s merely an extreme one, but make no mistake about it, incidents like that take place on Tel Aviv’s streets time and again with no interruption. About two months ago, two guys were chased by a group armed with baseball bats; before that, two youngsters were stabbed outside a gay club. Meanwhile, numerous cases go unreported.

For those who arrive from the outside it sometimes appears as though the city is painted an especially bright shade of pink; here one can hold hands on Rothschild Boulevard, nonchalantly hop from one club to another, wed, adopt children, and run for city council. Yet for those who live here, the curses, hateful glares, spits, and hidden hostility are clearly felt. The double life: On the one hand one can feel open and safe, but on the other hand nothing is really safe here. Just ask the youngsters who showed up to the weekly meeting at the gay center last night; check who will return next week.

Once a year, spokespersons on behalf of the gay community are requested to explain why we insist on the pride parade; so here is the answer. There are those who fan the flames of hatred and homophobia, and the outcome may lead to gunfire. Here is your answer, this is the reason: Because they shoot at us. At times they use words, and other times they use bullets. >>> Shlomi Laufer | Sunday, August 02, 2009

YNET NEWS: Hundreds March in Tel Aviv Following Shooting

Photo: Ynet News
Spontaneous ceremony held in memory of two people killed in attack on gay youth center. 'This is an act of pure unfounded hatred, which leads to the murder of children for being gays and lesbians,' one of participants tells Ynet

Spontaneous memorial, hours after deadly attack: Hundreds of people marched silently Saturday night from the place where two people were murdered at a gay and lesbian youth center in central Tel Aviv, towards a gay center in Meir Park.

The marchers held gay community flags and signs reading "All together – without hatred and fear" and "Love – don't kill".

Revital, one of the participants, told Ynet, "The feeling is terrifying. We live in a bubble, believing that everything is fine. This is an act of pure unfounded hatred, which leads to the murder of children for being gays and lesbians. It's very sad knowing that it's still so." >>> Izzy Ein Dor | Sunday, August 02, 2009

New Dark Age Alert! Gunman Kills Three in Tel Aviv Gay Nighclub [sic]
THE TELEGRAPH: A black-clad gunman has killed three people and wounded several others in an attack on a Tel Aviv nightclub.

Israeli police said the gunman entered Cafe Noir, a youth club for gay teenagers in central Tel Aviv, and sprayed the interior with automatic rifle fire, killing three people and injuring 11.

Yaniv Weisman, who witnessed the incident, said: "This was a hate crime, a premeditated attack. Those hurt were very young."

A police spokesman confirmed the deaths at the gay club, describing the incident as "criminal, rather than nationalistic". >>> Telegraph reporter | Saturday, August 01, 2009

Five Gay Couples Wed in Marriage Ceremony on Tel Aviv Beach
HAARETZ: Five Gay couples wed Friday in a ceremony held on the Tel Aviv beach to mark the city's 11th annual Gay Pride Parade.

The white city was turned pink all day Friday as tens of thousands of gays, bisexuals, transgenders, and their heterosexual compatriots marched in the parade. The event was financed by the municipality and set out at 1:30 P.M. from the gay community center at Meir Park, after a happening and an international gay tourism fair in the park.

Massive traffic jams were expected, as several city thoroughfares were closed to traffic for the parade, which was guarded by police, Border Police and civil defense volunteers. Bograshov, Ben-Yehuda and Ben-Gurion streets were closed to traffic from 11:30 A.M. until 5 P.M., as were the streets leading to them. The parade proceeded from King George St. to Bograshov St., Ben-Yehuda St. and Ben-Gurion Boulevard and finally ended up at Gordon beach, where a huge party with singers and DJs was to be held be held from about 3 P.M. to sunset. The event is to culminate in five simultaneous gay marriages.

Alon Elbakri, 15, came out of the closet about a year ago when he told his mother that he was gay.

"All my life I've been attracted to boys," he said. "I'd go to gay sites on the Internet, but I kept fighting myself, saying 'I like girls,' even though it wasn't true. Last year, in eighth grade, I underwent a change and realized that's what I am."

Elbakri is not exceptional: A survey conducted by Dr. Guy Shilo of Tel Aviv University indicates that the average age at which Israeli gays come out of the closet is declining. The agonizing that plagued most gays until a few years ago now mostly ends during high school.

"We're witnessing a social change," Shilo said. "At the end of the 1990s, the average coming-out age was 22. Today, it's 16."

Shilo, the head of research for the gay youth movement IGY, recently completed his doctorate at TAU, on the consolidation of sexual inclinations among gay youths. "Gay boys and girls mostly start feeling different from their peers between age 10 and 13," he said. "But the time between feeling different about themselves and deciding to categorize themselves as gay is getting shorter."

One reason why teenagers are coming out sooner is earlier sexual development among both gay and straight teens, Shilo said. Another reason is the growing exposure to gay boys and girls on television and the Internet. The latter, in addition to various forums and informational sites, also provides gay dating sites. >>> By Ofri Ilani and Noah Kosharek, Haaretz Correspondents | Friday, June 12, 2009

Homophobia Alive and Kicking
YNET NEWS: Attack on homosexual couple in Tel Aviv reminder that hate still exists

The attack on the homosexual couple at the heart of Tel Aviv raises concern, anger, and mostly prompts thoughts about the manner in which all of us within Israeli society allow violence to take root.

The couple’s grave sin – a brief kiss on the street – led to violence that could have easily resulted in grave damage. The intolerable ease with which a derogatory “homos” chant progressed into guys armed with bats chasing the couple shows that homophobia is alive and kicking, feeding on hatred and posing true danger.

Tel Aviv justifiably characterizes itself as a liberal, open, and equal city. City hall’s attitude to homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered individuals is among the most progressive and appropriate. However, even a city that over the years adopted the pride flag, we still see cases that remind us of dark periods in dark places. Crimes as result of sexual orientation are being carried out worldwide, yet we still would like to believe that it cannot happen in our home. >>> Yaniv Weizman | Friday, May 22, 2009

Australian Charged over Anti-Semitic YouTube Video
HAARETZ: Police charged a man who allegedly posted a video on YouTube with inciting racism under a so-far untested Australian state law, officials said Thursday. A newspaper report said the video targeted Jews.

The 38-year-old man from the west coast city of Perth could become the first person convicted under Western Australia state's racial vilification laws enacted four years ago.

The laws were introduced in response to a series of violent attacks by white supremacists around Perth. The only person previously charged under the law was a 16-year-old Aboriginal girl, but a magistrate said the case involved petty name-calling and dismissed it.

State police spokeswoman Susan Usher said the suspect will appear in court next Tuesday charged with conduct likely to incite animosity or racist harassment. He cannot be identified under Australian law until his first court appearance.

If convicted, he faces a possible maximum penalty of 14 years in prison plus a fine of $18,000. >>> Associated Press | Thursday, May 14, 2009

HAARETZ: Anti-Semitism Is Rearing Its Head in Tel Aviv

Anti-Semitism is raising its head. Not in Warsaw, Munich or Paris, and there's no need for the Anti-Defamation League to wave the evidence around. It's right here, in our own home, in verdant Ramat Aviv, the most enlightened suburb of Tel Aviv, our most enlightened city. The entry of a handful of ultra-Orthodox Jews to this lovely, modest and tranquil neighborhood has provoked an unlovely wave of racism, tearing the thin veil of openness and liberality from this seemingly left-wing community. If anyone were to behave this way toward Israeli Arabs, the residents might raise a hue and cry, but when it comes to Haredim the gloves are off because attacking the "blacks" is the fashion. >>> By Gideon Levy | Thursday, May 14, 2009

Un dialogo senza ambiguità
CORRIERA DELLA SERA: Benedetto XVI è giunto oggi a Tel Aviv dopo la sua prima tappa in Giordania. Questo lungo viaggio in Terra santa del Papa avrà certamente an­cora molti momenti sa­lienti ma un primo bilan­cio è reso possibile dal­l’accoglienza che gli è sta­ta fin qui riservata e dalle parole, forti e inequivoca­bili, che egli ha già pro­nunciato sui rapporti fra il cristianesimo, l'ebrai­smo e l'islam.



Il viaggio del Papa è di estrema delicatezza. Non solo perché si svolge nei luoghi che sono, oggi co­me mille anni fa, il terre­no di incontro/scontro fra le tre religioni mono­teiste. E non solo perché è proprio lì, in Medio Oriente, che si addensa­no, si sovrappongono e si intrecciano i più gravi ele­menti di conflitto che mi­naccino oggi la stabilità mondiale. E' di estrema delicatezza anche perché il Papa vi è giunto prece­duto da una lunga scia di polemiche e incompren­sioni che hanno fin qui segnato i suoi rapporti sia con l'ebraismo che con l'islam.

Sul Monte Nebo, in Giordania, Benedetto XVI ha colto l'occasione per ri­badire con solennità quanto ha peraltro già detto e scritto in molte oc­casioni. Ha affermato con enfasi quanto speciale sia il rapporto fra cristianesi­mo e ebraismo, quanto «inseparabile» sia il vin­colo che li unisce. Forse non tutte le incompren­sioni spariranno di colpo ma sono state poste le ba­si per un loro superamen­to. Benedetto XVI ha par­lato così agli ebrei ma an­che, contestualmente, ai cristiani. Ha voluto dire agli uni e agli altri che an­che gli ultimi detriti so­pravvissuti dell'antico an­tigiudaismo cristiano de­vono essere spazzati via senza indugio dalle co­scienze. Inoltre, la sua presenza in Israele oggi, nella condizione presen­te, vale più di mille rico­noscimenti diplomatici. E' un'implicita affermazio­ne del diritto all'esistenza dello Stato di Israele con­tro coloro che vorrebbero cancellarlo. >>> Angelo Panebianco | Lunedi 11 maggio 2009

Sauerei: Hakenkreuz an Schweizer Autos
BLICK: BERN/TEL AVIV – Alles nur wegen Ahmadinedschad: Vor der Schweizer Botschaft in Tel Aviv haben Unbekannte Autos von Schweizer Diplomaten mit Hakenkreuz- Abziehbildern beklebt.

Das Eidg. Departement für auswärtige Angelegenheiten (Eda) bestätigte einen entsprechenden Bericht der «Tagesschau» des Schweizer Fernsehens SF.



Nähere Angaben dazu machte das Eda nicht. Seit dem Treffen von Bundespräsident Hans-Rudolf Merz mit dem erklärten Antisemiten und iranischen Präsidenten Mahmud Ahmadinedschad am vergangenen Sonntag in Genf steht die Schweiz in Israel unter Beschuss. Vor der Botschaft demonstrieren täglich mehrere Menschen gegen die Schweiz. >>> SDA | Donnerstag, 23. April 2009

Jewish Youths Jailed for Neo-Nazi Attacks in Israel
THE GUARDIAN: A gang of Jewish teenagers were today jailed by an Israeli court for a 12-month campaign of neo-Nazi attacks.

The sentencing in Tel Aviv, which comes over a year after the arrest of the eight youths, closed a case that has sparked revulsion across the Jewish state.

The judge, Zvi Gurfinkel, sentenced the teens, aged 16 to 19, to between one and seven years in prison for a "shocking and horrifying" year-long spree of attacks that focused on foreign workers, gay people, ultra-orthodox Jews and homeless men.

The ring posted pro-Hitler video clips and recordings of their attacks on the internet. Its members also planned to attack Arabs.

They were arrested in September 2007 and reports said that searches of their homes unearthed Nazi uniforms, knives, guns and the explosive TNT.

Gang members had tattoos popular with white supremacists – including the number 88, code for "heil Hitler", H being the eighth letter of the alphabet.

The charges against them included painting swastikas in a synagogue and planning a birthday party for Hitler.

They were charged with offences including conspiracy to commit a crime, assault, racial incitement and the distribution of racist materials. >>> Angela Balakrishnan and agencies | November 24, 2008

LE FIGARO: De jeunes néonazis condamnés en Israël

Huit jeunes, dont trois mineurs, ont écopé de peines de un à sept ans pour avoir commis des actes racistes et violents contre des immigrés, des homosexuels et des juifs religieux.

L'un d'eux est le petit-fils de rescapés de la Shoah. Dimanche, huit jeunes tous originaires de l'ex-URSS ont été condamnés par le tribunal de district de Tel-Aviv à des peines de un an à sept ans de prison ferme pour «activité néo-nazie» en Israël.

Les membres de ce groupe, qui ont plaidé coupable, étaient jugés pour une série de délits racistes et des actes de violences commis entre 2005 et 2007. Leurs victimes, qui se compteraient par douzaines, étaient des travailleurs immigrés d'origine asiatique, des drogués, des SDF, des homosexuels, mais aussi des juifs ultra-orthodoxes.

Le groupe, qui se faisait appeler «Patrouille 36» et avait pour emblème un crâne, a également été reconnu coupable d'avoir projeté d'agresser des groupes punk à l'aide d'explosifs et d'avoir profané la synagogue Petah Tikva, dans la banlieue de Tel-Aviv, en dessinant des croix gammées sur ses murs. >>> J.C. (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP | 24.11.2008

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Tony Blair Bodyguard Fires Gun in Israeli Airport
THE TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair had to be rushed on to his plane at an Israeli airport after one of his British bodyguards accidentally fired his gun causing a security scare.

Nobody was hurt in the incident at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport and Mr Blair's spokesman said the former Prime Minister had not heard the gunshot.

But an Israeli police spokesman said that in the confusion Mr Blair was hurried on to his plane.

Accidental firings are taken extremely seriously in Israel and its Airports Authority has launched an inquiry.

"One of his bodyguards accidentally fired his gun, and the bullet hit the ground," said, Maayan Malkin, an IAA spokesman.

The incident took place as Mr Blair was leaving Ben Gurion, the main international airport in Israel, after spending a few days in the country in his capacity as international envoy for Palestinian development. >>> By Tim Butcher in Jerusalem | November 11, 2008

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