United Torah Judaism MKs Meir Porush and Moshe Gafni covered their faces and turned away during the inaugural speech of new Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, who became the first gay man to hold the role, as the new speaker during which he thanked his husband and their two children on Thursday.
Ohana became the highest ranking LGBTQ+ member of Knesset when he was approved as the new Knesset speaker, shortly before the new government was voted in.
גפני ופרוש הורידו את הראש במכוון במהלך נאומו של יו״ר הכנסת אמיר אוחנה pic.twitter.com/Nvpc7AdmGD
— יקי אדמקר (@YakiAdamker) December 29, 2022
According to reports, Porush expressed outrage to Gafni concerning Ohana's words during the speech saying "What is this?"
While Haredi MKs took part in the vote to approve Ohana's position on Thursday, in 2015 they walked out of the plenum when he was sworn in as a new member of Knesset.
LGBTQ+ activists outraged at Ohana's silence in face of allies' homophobia
While Ohana is openly gay, LGBTQ+ activists have expressed outrage at his silence concerning the anti-LGBTQ+ statements made by a number of his coalition partners in recent weeks.
Over the years, Ohana has become popular with the Likud’s masses who cheer him like a celebrity at party rallies. A former justice and public security minister, he speaks forcefully against the legal establishment and is close to Netanyahu
During his speech on Thursday, Ohana promised that "this Knesset will not harm any child or family. Period." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made similar promises in recent weeks.
Despite the promises Netanyahu, the leader of Ohana's party, signed a coalition agreement with the Religious Zionist party this week promising to allow discrimination in the provision of products and services for "religious reasons."
Religious Zionist MKs Orit Struck and Simcha Rothman said earlier this week that they will work to advance a bill that will allow doctors to refuse service to LGBTQ+ people and single women and permit hotels to refuse entry to LGBTQ+ people.