Israel's Supreme Court has ruled that same sex marriage is not a right, rejecting the Israeli Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Association's argument that same sex marriage should be allowed under the country's Basic Law of Human Dignity and Liberty.

Justice Elyakim Rubinstein spoke on the ruling, saying, "To all intents and purposes, Israeli civil law does not recognize same-sex marriage," according to Pink News. "Therefore, the petitioners' request to have the civil court rule on something under the jurisdiction of the rabbinical courts, which applies under certain conditions, is not applicable here ... In essence, the petitioners are asking the court to recognize same-sex marriage via court ruling, despite the fact that Israeli law does not recognize it."

The ruling was reached unanimously by Supreme Court Justices Rubinstein, Anat Baron and Neal Handel. The verdict states that under Israeli law, rabbinical courts hold the final word on marriages, and that since the High Court is not an ecclesiastical institution it has no right to allow such a ruling.

Though Israel is considered one of the more progressive countries in the Middle East and despite support for same-sex marriage exceeding 64 percent last year, the Tel Aviv area stands as a kind of island of LGBTQ tolerance in the country.

This was evinced last July, when a Pride parade had to be cancelled in the city of Beersheba after police said people opposed to the event posed a threat of life-threatening violence.

In July 2015, 16-year-old Shira Banki was killed and several others injured after Yishai Schlissel, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man, went on a stabbing spree at that year's Pride parade. Just three weeks before, Schlissel had been released from prison for stabbing people at the same event in 2005.

Banki received a prison sentence of 31 years for the attack.
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201709011056978922-israel-supreme-court-gay-marriage/

The day Israel all but ignores the basic bible verse that God created he and she and created woman as mans partner

is the day we can start kissing our collective behinds good bye,,,

I like how they cancelled the pride parade there for fear of getting hurt...maybe the US can learn something?

Hey, Banki don't play that.

The day we start respecting that judgment is Gods..love is simple..marriage is commitment to eachother..sex is a feeling..why do we care who is with who..?

WE dont, but those who follow Gods word regarding sin and unnatural behavior do.

Those in 'secular' countries follow the judgment God put forth in their holy book.


Jesus said both

he who is without sin cast the first stone
and
go and sin no more.

He ate with and loved sinners while continuing to guide and direct them to avoid sin


Which explains why they are loving enough not to make judgment in terms of deaths and beheadings, yet they do stand firm in calling what they understand to be a sin, a sin, and not 'supporting' or promoting it.

..lol..one of my biggest issues with Christian people..go to church on Sunday..and go to work on Monday..pray your forgiven and spend the rest of the week judging and condemning..sooo human..and soulless..oh well

just as we are 'judged and condemned'?

there is not condemnation in telling a kid that too much sugar and not enough exercise will make them fat, but the world has confused trying to share the truth (as we understand it) with condemning.

Condemning a person leaves no room for repentance. I also do not agree with it, because repentance as the pathway to forgiveness, is one of the greatest gifts Christ died for us to have.

However, having and using sound judgment is a part of guiding and living with each other as decent humans, in my opinion.

I cannot watch a blind person walk to the end of a cliff and say nothing. If I know an action can lead to a negative outcome, I speak up. There are plenty of WAYS to say something, but merely saying it is not 'condemnation'.

To me, condemnation is about HOW we say something. To the world, condemnation is saying anything at all but 'do what you want and I will pretend to have no opinion and give no guidance unless it encourages and supports your choice'

and in this OP, condemnation was not a part of it at all. Stating that you will not support or endorse something is a different thing from 'condemning' it.

you talk about god, but 1- marriage is bound by god, 2- God doesn't like gaydom.. lol

No surprise that a purely single-religion-religion based government would decide to make such a reality-ignoring decision.

I'm no more desirous of accepting and emulating that for any reason, than I am of accepting and emulating the governmental systems of the USSR, North Korea, Iran, Syria, or Saudi Arabia, where they manage to have less crime than we do.

You can't have the kind of partisan, narrowly limited freedoms that you want others to put up with, to personally tailor the country to please you, unless you're willing to surrender ALL of your own rights to get them.

I am amorous of a population that sticks to standards instead of just going with whatever popular flow happens at the time,,,


particularly one that is supposedly religious in nature and not secular,,

It's up to them, yet another example of the west (including the UK ) sticking there noses in other countries beliefs.
Israel always gets a bad press, I mean, Israel would never hurt anyone. ...would they?

bad press or not, Israel will always have my respect, just for all the crap they have to deal with from the muslims...for them to survive for 70 years of hate... on every border...

hi.

Definitely, Jordan, Syria and Egypt couldn't sort them out so I doubt no one could. And they should stick to doing what they think is right.

I will say this....I am Christian, born and raised but I know when to dust the sand off my sandals and I am free to practice my beliefs, just as others are free. I am, also, conservative. My views are my own. It's not up to me to tell someone who they can love. I am not the ulitmate judge. Sin is sin and I am not without sin myself. As long as they are consenting adults, not my issue

We agree again. As long as people are permitted to 'love' whomever they wish without government involvement or penalty (marriage is by definition government involvement) I fully support Israel standing by their personal history and culture.

being gay isn't about love.. your bible says to love your neighbor, not to have sex with them.... Christians arebsupposed to love...

Please let's not get into "my Bible". You don't believe anyway. I do believe in love and let he who is without sin cast the firat stone. I also believe in dust the sand off ypur sandals and walk away. No one is perfect. I don't consider something I am against to be more than anything else. You can't use the Bible as an excuse for a personal agenda (especially when you don't believe in it)

By doing that, yes gay marriages wouldn't be allowed but I still would hate to live where beliefs were pressed on me

There was a time when interracial couples weren't ok. I am not the ultimate judge