As the tragic attack on Jerusalem’s Gay Pride parade Thursday proves, even a nation as safety-conscious as Israel is prone to colossal failures of security and intelligence. But as the outrage subsides and the injured heal, Yishai Shlissel’s stabbing spree must be considered for what it is: a relatively isolated incident in a nation that takes its LGBT citizens very seriously.
Need proof? How about progressive LGBT military, marriage and employment-protection policies that long preceded their US equivalents. Or ample state and municipal funding for LGBT education and social-service initiatives.
Or an atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance that has made Tel Aviv one of the most openly LGBT towns on the planet. Or the immediate outrage from Israeli politicians — from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on down — condemning Thursday’s horror.
These are not mere propaganda posings, but national realities that sharply contradict the growing portrayals of Israel as anti-democratic.
Of course, this will be of little concern to Israel-bashers for whom every violent act convicts the nation of war crimes. Their voices arrived this week both loudly and swiftly, often cloaked in the veil of “pink-washing” — the academically vogue assertion that Israel uses its pro-LGBT record to obscure its Gaza blockade and West Bank occupation.
Transgender activist Pauline Park declared Thursday on Twitter: “Jerusalem LGBT PrideParade attack by Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Assailant undermines Zionist Pinkwashing Propaganda.”
“Will the Zionists continue their pinkwashing campaign?” asked another on Twitter.
Indeed, across the #pinkwashing spectrum, posters insisted that Israel is actually unsafe for its LGBT citizens, that it’s far from a liberal haven and that Netanyahu’s good wishes are merely political showmanship.
As with most socio-political-cultural conflicts, the truth is at once far simpler — and more complex. Indeed, much as in other Western democracies, Israel’s open society can cultivate extremists who may act out with violent results. Yet despite their horror, these egregious examples do not render those societies fundamentally violent.
Take Dylann Roof. He may have shot and killed nine black parishioners in a Charleston, SC, church, but that doesn’t make America unsafe for black church-goers.
Or Norway’s Anders Breivik back in 2011. He might have murdered 77 of his fellow countrymen to protest Norway’s immigration policies. But far from a hotbed of mass-murder, Norway remains one of the safest (and most welcoming) places on Earth.
Or even the case of gay Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn, who was killed to quiet his right-wing policies back in 2002. More than 10 years on, Holland has yet to devolve into a country plagued by political assassinations.
The same holds true for Israel. While Shlissel may be part of an ideologically extremist community, Israel allows plenty of freedom for its fringe movements to operate. Indeed, unlike in truly anti-democratic societies, folks like Shlissel rarely rely on violence to make public statements in Israel — they simply don’t need to.
And as a result, stabbing sprees like Thursday’s in Jerusalem are met with the universal disgust they rightly deserve. There’s little disagreement that the parade incident should never have happened — although no guarantees it will never happen again.
Ultimately, the ideals embodied by Israel’s LGBT policies and communities remain unchanged. Gay bars and beach parties will still rage across Tel Aviv this weekend, while global tourists will continue to arrive throughout summer to sample the city’s legendary party scene.
Despite the accusations of pinkwashing, Israel can still claim the Middle East’s most progressive LGBT track-record. And not to “hide” the effects of its West Bank occupation — but simply because it’s a fact.
Israel doesn’t need to “pretend” to support its LGBT citizens because it really does. And one violent nut-case — no matter how egregious his actions — cannot erase this legacy.
Israel is far from perfect. But what country is? Sure, it must be held accountable for its wrongdoings. But it shouldn’t be held to a higher standard than the rest of the international community. Thursday’s stabbings, while tragic, do not make Israel anti-gay — and certainly not when compared to elsewhere.
dkaufman@nypost.com