Global LGBTQ group says it’ll lift suspension of Israeli member organization after year
ILGA World chastises The Aguda for ‘silence’ on Gaza, says it will reverse suspension in October, noting it would set ‘harmful precedent’ to demand groups publicly oppose governments
A global LGBTQ group will reverse its suspension of an Israeli organization, six months after it said it was putting the group’s membership on hold to investigate if it was in compliance with the umbrella group’s principles.
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, known as ILGA World, announced last week that it would lift the suspension it had placed on The Aguda, Israel’s main LGBTQ rights group, in October 2024.
ILGA said in a statement that the complaints it had received over The Aguda’s continued membership were “substantive,” noting the organization’s “reluctance to condemn war crimes plausibly amounting to genocide in Gaza,” but that nevertheless the organization “actively continues to provide support to LGBTI communities.”
The organization said that The Aguda will be reinstated in October 2025, handing the group a yearlong suspension in order to send a message about the “harm done” by its actions and noting that it does not support the Israeli group’s “position, actions, or silence on the war in Gaza.”
However, the umbrella group noted that a requirement for member organizations “to take a public stance on their government positions and actions” would create a harmful precedent for many other member organizations around the world.
In its own statement, The Aguda welcomed the news but expressed “regret” that the suspension would not be lifted until October 2025.
“The decision of ILGA to return The Aguda to the ranks of the organization is an important step that demonstrates recognition of our many years of contribution to advancing the rights of the gay community in Israel,” said Yael Sinai Biblash, CEO of The Aguda.
She expressed frustration that the suspension would continue “without justification” until October, and noted that the complaints against The Aguda were “simplistic and one-dimensional.”
“We chose to fight for our place specifically in those spaces where there is a difficult and complicated dialogue, out of a belief that our presence is needed there — to influence, explain and listen,” added Sinai Biblash, adding that the organization works with both Arabs and Jews.
The suspension came about last year, after The Aguda placed a bid to host the ILGA 2027 World Conference in Tel Aviv, a move that angered some members.
ILGA said at the time that “we know that seeing the Tel Aviv bid taken into consideration caused anger and harm to our communities.” It said that even “the possibility of voting on such a bid” would stand opposed to its “unequivocal solidarity for the Palestinian people.”
Even while announcing that it was lifting the suspension, ILGA added that it still believes that “for The Aguda to advance its proposal amidst an ongoing war and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza was a harmful and irresponsible act,” justifying the extension of its suspension for a full year.
A driving force behind elevating LGBTQ human rights on the world stage, ILGA carries outsized importance for the queer community in international diplomacy. The group has fought anti-LGBTQ government policies and monitored shifting global attitudes about LGBTQ people.
JTA contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.