Large turnout as Israel's gay lobby holds first Knesset session

Over a quarter of all Members of Knesset attend meeting, which opened with condemnation of local university that banned public gay pride event.

The new Knesset’s so-called gay pride lobby held its first meeting on Wednesday morning, with 32 MKs present, including 24 from the opposition and eight from the coalition. Among those attending was the new Minister for Gender Equality Gila Gamliel (Likud), Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog and Meretz chief Zehava Galon. No Knesset members from Yisrael Beiteinu, Habayit Hayehudi, United Torah Judaism or Shas were in attendance. Nor were than any Arab MKs, with MK Dov Khenin, the only member of the Joint Arab List present.

The lobby will be headed by MKs Yael German (Yesh Atid), Merav Michaeli (Zionist Union), Michal Rozin (Meretz) and Yoav Kish (Likud). German opened the meeting with a harsh condemnation of the administration of Bar-Ilan University, which turned down a student group request to hold an open gay pride event on campus.


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