Homophobia in Israel

Raw Story » Almost half of Israelis consider gays deviants: poll

Almost half the Israeli population considers homosexuals to be deviants, according to an opinion poll published on Thursday, five days after an attack at a Tel Aviv gay centre killed two people.

Forty-six percent of the 498 people interviewed answered yes to the question “do you see homosexuality as a perversion?” and 42 percent said no, the Haaretz newspaper said.

Among ultra-Orthodox Jews, 71 percent said yes, as did 64 percent of Arab Israelis, and 24 percent of people who described themselves as secular.

Camil Fuchs, who conducted the poll, said it showed a certain decline in homophobia in Israel, but said this could be tied to Saturday’s attack by a gunmen who killed two people and another 15 wounded.

“It is possible that what we have here is a reaction to the trauma and also that hate-filled people think this is not the moment to admit it,” Haaretz quoted him as saying.

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