cw: queerphobia
Israeli far-right lawmaker Avi Maoz accused the Justice Ministry of attempting to normalize pedophilia within the country by altering Israel's age of consent laws.
Currently, the age of consent in Israel is 16 for all genders. However, that age of consent can go as low as 14, provided the other sexual partner was no more than three years older and both parties consented.
But according to Maoz, the Justice Ministry is trying to change this to an age gap of five years.
Ok, sounds good to oppose it. But...
The Noam lawmaker was elected to the Knesset on a platform heavily critical of LGBTQ+ policies and has frequently made critical statements against members of the LGBTQ+ community. This includes saying that he is "filled with shame" over the fact that current Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana is gay.
According to a December 2022 report by Ynet, the Noam Party has been keeping track of LGBTQ+ people working in the Israeli media and keeping a blacklist for several years.
Maoz has also referred to members of the LGBTQ+ community as "perverts and pedophiles."
However, the issue of the age of consent laws is something that is a topic of discussion in countries around the world and spans the political spectrum. It is also one that is often irrelevant to the debate on LGBTQ+ rights.
Israel also has had historic issues regarding pedophilia and sex offenders. According to a 2020 report by the Matzof Association, there are tens of thousands of pedophiles who operate in Israel every year, leading to about 100,000 victims annually.
