Hamas: Israel corrupting Gazans by distributing 'sex chewing gum'
15 July 2009



Gaza City (dpa) — The Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement is accusing Israel of distributing a form of chewing gum which enhances sex-drive, in a bid to "corrupt" young Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas police spokesman in Gaza Islam Shahwan told reporters on Wednesday that Israeli intelligence services were "smuggling" aphrodisiacs into Gaza, in the shape of both chewing gum and of "drops." "The aim according to our initial investigation is to corrupt the young generation of the Gaza Strip," said Shahwan.

Hamas police claimed earlier this week that it had nabbed a number of members of a local gang, said to smuggle the two types of aphrodisiacs.

Shahwan claimed that the gang's members confessed that they were instructed by Israeli intelligence officers to distribute the chewing-gum and the drops amongst the young generation, mostly women. He added the gang members also "admitted" the Israeli security officials did not ask for money, but rather asked the smugglers to distribute the aphrodisiacs for free.

An Israeli military spokesman in Jerusalem, who giggled when confronted with the Hamas police's accusations, said it was the first time he had heard of them. He added he would check the report.

No independent verification of the efficacy or otherwise of the chewy aphrodisiacs was yet available.

Source: Earth Times / dpa.

First gay and lesbian help line for Palestinians
19 February 2010

They are women in a traditional Arab community, and Palestinians in a state - Israel - where they are often underrepresented. They are homosexuals in a society, -Palestine - that believes that their sexual orientation is 'haram' (prohibited).

To respond to the needs of the Palestinian gay and lesbian community, a helpline for speakers of Arabic has been established in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. An unprecedented service that "is not important just because of the language," explained Radir to ANSA. Radir is the coordinator of Aswat, an organisation headquartered in Haifa, working for the rights of homosexual Arab women, who together with the association for sexual diversity in Palestinian society in Jerusalem ALQAWS, promoted the new help-line.

"Until now support that could respond to the needs of gays and lesbians living in a cultural and social context that is very different from Israeli society has been lacking," continued Radir, while speaking about her experience: "When I was an adolescent, and I was questioning my sexuality, there was no one to help me". Homosexuality in Palestinian society is still taboo.

"Not less than 10% of the Arabs who live in Israel and the Territories are gay", according to Radir's estimates, but they are routinely marginalised and discriminated against".

The helpline, which is active thanks to the support of several volunteers, can be called only on Wednesdays right now, and targets "mainly those who cannot reach the offices of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual) organisations".

"We are trying to publicise it as much as possible, but it is not easy," concluded the young activist. "The hope is that the information we provide and our support will help create new volunteers in the future."

Source: ANSAmed.

New Arab Web site discusses taboo topics
August 17, 2010

JERUSALEM (UPI) -- An Israeli Arab has launched an online magazine that will tackle topics considered taboo in Arab culture, including articles devoted to the gay sector.

Alaa Hlehel, the founder and editor of the Qadita.net Web site said the site "will be like a cultural oasis to which a person can escape to read a short story or watch a cultural event via YouTube," Middle East Online reported Tuesday. He said the site was named after his ancestral village, which was destroyed in the 1948 war.

"Rebellious or non-conservative' writing should not fall victim to erasure just because its dissemination angers some people or offends 'sensitivities,'" the Web site's founding statement says. "We believe the margin of freedom in Arabic-language publishing is under siege because of political and social tensions and various groups," the statement added.

The site will publish contributions from a wide range of Arab and Palestinian writers and will devote a special section to gay writers, most of whom will write anonymously, the report said. "We are doing this to allow gays to speak out, to leave their ghetto and to become a natural part of Palestinian and Arab culture," Hlehel said on the Web site.

When asked if he feared attacks by religious or extremist groups, Hlehel insisted the quality of the writing would speak for itself. "It will be easy to attack us over the issue of gays, but because of this we will ensure that all our writing is of the highest quality," he said.

Source: UPI.

Police: Gay man 'kidnapped' by relatives
By YAAKOV LAPPIN
25 August 2010

19-year-old fled from village to Tel Aviv to escape threatening kin.

Four men from the Muslim village of Tamra, 20 km. east of Acre, were arrested on Tuesday night on suspicion of kidnapping a 19-year-old gay relative because of his sexual orientation.

The kidnap victim had moved to Tel Aviv to get away from threatening relatives, but police say the family members caught up with him after first harassing and threatening him. His relatives had demanded he return to his village and “act normal,” the victim said.

Police said the kidnappers armed themselves with pepper spray and waited for their relative outside his south Tel Aviv apartment. After identifying him walking down the street with a friend, the suspects allegedly assaulted the men, sprayed them with pepper spray, and made off with their target. The kidnap victim’s friend alerted police.

As police put up road blocks to intercept the kidnappers, the car carrying the youth drove north, and the victim was repeatedly beaten, police said. He was held for approximately 12 hours, and the captors planned to move him to a hideout. At that stage, police caught up with the kidnappers, arresting them and freeing the captive.

Source: Jerusalem Post.