We march together for Shira Banki’s memory, says PM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that today’s pride parade in Jerusalem is not just for the LGBTQ community, but for all those who believe in equality.

In a Facebook post that also included a video in Hebrew, the prime minister wrote that those participating in the event “will be marching for one principle: all human beings are equal, all human beings were created in God’s image, all human beings have a right to live their lives as they choose, with dignity and security.”

Netanyahu pays tribute to Shira Banki, 16, who was murdered at last year’s pride parade in the capital by a religious extremist, calling her a “brave, talented and loved” child.

The PM says he spent the past year hearing about Banki from her “wonderful family and close friends, learning about her beliefs and her opinions.”

“Shira was murdered for supporting the simple idea that we are all equal. The parade today in Jerusalem is not a parade just for the LGBTQ community. It’s not a march just for one group…It’s a march for ‘us,’ for ‘togetherness.’ …We are all one family,” he says.

“We march together in Shira’s memory, we will remember her with love and longing, we will not let others sow separation among us,” he adds.

Netanyahu is not expected to be in attendance at the pride parade.