Benjamin Netanyahu made a rare rebuke of his new coalition allies on Sunday, promising there would be no harm to the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer community.
Netanyahu is going to form the most religious and ultranationalist government in Israel's history, with several openly anti-gay parties. Israel's LGBTQ community is worried that the new government will roll back gains they have made in the past.
Orit Struck, a Religious Zionism member of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, said her party seeks a change to the country's anti-discrimination law that would allow people to avoid acts that go against their religious beliefs.
According to Struck, if there are enough other doctors to provide care, then religious healthcare providers should be able to refuse to care for gay people.
Simcha said that private business owners should be able to refuse service to the gay community if it harms their religious feelings.
Netanyahu repudiated the comments of Struck.
Netanyahu said that Struck's comments were unacceptable to him and to members of his party.
He issued a second videotaped statement saying he completely rejects Struck's comments.
In the country that I will lead, there will be no situation where a person who is gay, Arab, or ultra-Orthodox will not be able to get a hotel room or a doctor's appointment.
The controversy began after the Yediot Ahronot daily reported that another member of the Religious Zionism alliance had compiled a list of LGBTQ journalists.
Israel's president expressed his own concerns after the uproar. The president is a figurehead position that is meant to unify the country.
The democratic and moral values of the State of Israel are undermined by a situation in which Israeli citizens feel threatened due to their identity. The racist statements heard in recent days against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer community are worrying.
It was the latest sign of trouble for Netanyahu's emerging coalition, which is dominated by far-right and ultra-Orthodox partners pushing for dramatic changes that could alienating large swaths of the Israeli public and raise the risk of conflict with the Palestinians.
The outgoing government took a number of small steps to advance the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer community.
Two ultra-Orthodox parties that don't allow female candidates are included in the new government.
Several former government ministers as well as popular artists and entertainers are openly gay in Israel. Israel has a long way to go in promoting equality.
Netanyahu's religious and nationalist parties won most of the seats in the Knesset. He claimed last week that he had formed a coalition. Netanyahu and his partners are still working on their power-sharing agreements, even though the government has not been sworn in.
After 12 years as Israel's prime minister, Netanyahu lost his job last year.
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