Naftali Bennett's Party Pledges Full LGBTQ+ Equality Rights

Naftali Bennett's "Achva" party has unveiled a platform advocating for full civil equality for the LGBTQ+ community, a significant shift from his past stances. In 2015, Bennett, then chairman of the Jewish Home party, stated that Judaism does not recognize LGBTQ+ individuals and equated same-sex marriage to making pork kosher. He then defined his position as "Recognition - no, rights - yes." Now, his party "Achva" (Together) proposes a far more liberal vision, committing to civil partnership registration with the Interior Ministry and full legal equality.

The party's plan includes establishing a civil partnership that grants all rights and obligations of married couples, enshrining the right to equality in a Basic Law, enacting a sweeping legislative ban on conversion therapy, and allocating a permanent budget for community services. While many of these steps have been proposed in the Knesset before without becoming law, and some progress has been made through court rulings and government decisions, the novelty lies in Bennett's party now championing them.

During his tenure as Prime Minister in the "Change Government," Bennett's administration advanced surrogacy for male couples and individuals, increased budgets for LGBTQ+ services, and the Health Ministry issued directives limiting conversion therapy by licensed professionals. However, civil partnerships, equality in a Basic Law, and a comprehensive ban on conversion therapy were not legislated.

Achva's proposal now formalizes these aspirations into a party commitment, offering a civil path for partnership registration independent of religion, gender, or sexual orientation. The plan also champions the "Sagi Laws," a legislative package for equality developed in memory of Major Sagi Golan, who was killed on October 7th, and his partner Omer Ohana. This package addresses civil marriage, parentage registration, conversion therapy bans, housing discrimination, and hate crimes.

The party also proposes a "Basic Law: Equality" to codify equal rights and explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and amend the Interpretation Law to apply anti-discrimination prohibitions to LGBTQ+ individuals. Bennett stated, "In the next government, we will work for full equal rights to protect the gay community from violence and incitement. Together, we will bring about historic change and erase the abhorrent discrimination in the country."