PA Police says it will bar Palestinian gay rights group from holding activities

The Palestinian Authority Police says that it will prevent al-Qaws, a Palestinian LGBT rights group, from organizing any activities in the West Bank, some two weeks after the organization had planned to hold a gathering in Nablus.

PA Police spokesman Louay Arzeikat says in a statement that activities such as those organized by al-Qaws “go against and infringe upon the higher principals and values of Palestinian society,” and adds that the police were not aware of the group holding any recent meeting in Nablus under the title of “Margins.”

Al-Qaws’s Facebook page indicated that the group was planning to hold a meeting in Nablus on August 4, which it referred to as “Margins” and said would discuss gender pluralism in the city. An Al-Qaws staff member declined to confirm in a phone call whether the event ultimately took place, stating that the group does not communicate with the Israeli press.

— Adam Rasgon