Dozens protest against Netanyahu in Tel Aviv
In wake of decision not to bring Surrogacy Law amendment up to vote at opening of Knesset's winter session, LGBT community stages demonstration near Likud party conference.
Some 150 people demonstrated on Tuesday against Prime Minister and Likud party head Benjamin Netanyahu while he was attending a conference of the Right party in southern Tel Aviv.
The conference was held in the wake of upcoming municipal election in the city.
Apart from members of the LGBT community, activists against government corruption, southern Tel Aviv residents who support the deportation of the asylum-seekers, disabled protesters, and demonstrators against the construction of offshore gas distillation rig took part in the protest.
The protesters slammed the decision not to bring the amendment to the Surrogacy Law, which currently excludes same-sex couples up to vote at the opening of the Knesset's winter session, holding signs saying: "Netanyahu to Maasiyahu Prison."
"We've came to remind our prime minister that the Knesset's winter session opens next week, and we are still waiting for real action to terminate the sexual and gender oppression," said LGBT community Roee Neuman.
"We are all discriminated by the Israeli law. Three months ago we decided we had enough and that there is a limit to how much this community can be abused. So we decided to stage a nationwide protest against the Surrogacy Law," he went on to say.
"We've blocked roads, petitioned to the High Court of Justice (HCJ), launched unprecedented protests, and they (lawmakers) have completely ignored us," Neuman explained.
"The government hasn’t taken one step towards the LGBT community and not only in legislation. It could have promoted initiatives to make all of our lives easier and bring us closer to equality. However, nothing was done.
During the conference, Netanyahu said that he intends to pursue the asylum-seeker deportation.
"Had I not acted to build the fence, Israel would have had a million of infiltrators within a decade," the premier said in reference to the high-security fence along the 245-km (150-mile) border with Egypt.
"Those who opposed the building of the fence opposed the existence of a Jewish democratic country.
"We are fighting the legal interpretation caused by Left organization that petitioned the HCJ and are delaying the deportation of the illegal immigrants," he exclaimed.
"The recently-achieved peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea can speed up the removal of the infiltrators from Israel," he opined.
Doron Avrahami from the Liberation of South Tel Aviv Headquarters was invited to the conference since he is A Likud member. However, the security guards prevented him from attending the event after he was identified as one of the leaders of the protest.
"I came to express my support for the Likud, and then I wasn't allowed in. This is a disgrace and it must stop," Avrahami vented.
