Israeli government advances legislation for same-sex partners of fallen soldiers
The initiative follows the death of Sagi Golan, an IDF officer killed in Kibbutz Be'eri, as his partner was not immediately recognized as a widower
The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, approved in a first reading legislation that would recognize same-sex partners of fallen Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers. The initiative follows the death of Sagi Golan, a member of the LGBTQ+ community and an officer who was killed while defending Kibbutz Be'eri from Hamas.
His partner struggled at first to receive formal recognition as a spouse, but the Israeli Defense Ministry said it would already interpret the existing law as including same-sex partners. The couple intended to get married on October 20.
"The Ministry of Defense interprets in practice the Law on the Families of Soldiers Who Died in the Campaign as such that it applies to same-sex couples as well, while examining each case on its own merits," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on October 23.
This came in response to Israel's Knesset Speaker, Amir Ohana, who said that he received complaints from LGBTQ+ soldiers who feared discrimination if the worst happened to them.
"I think that there is great importance and spiritual encouragement to repeat the obvious - that there is no difference between blood and blood and there is no difference between a whole family and its neighbor as far as the rights provided by law are concerned," Ohana wrote to Gallant.
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After Golan's death, there was controversary over what an IDF representative informed his partner, saying that he needed to apply to the Defense Ministry to be recognized as a spouse since same-sex marriages were under different legal authorities in Israel.
Israeli lawmaker from the Yesh Atid party and chairman of the LGBT+ caucus in the Knesset, Yorai Lahav-Hertzanu, stressed the importance of this change.
Lahav-Hertzanu said the LGBT+ community is an integral part of Israeli society and that legislation must also include it. The bill is expected to be put to a vote on second and third readings next week and could then be enshrined in the Israeli Legal Code.