Same-sex couples win rights in Israel

damien

*checks to make sure it's the right forum this time*

http://uk.gay.com/headlines/7238

Same-sex couples in Israel will now have the same rights as common law spouses when it comes to matters of property, taxation and inheritance.

The move comes after Israel's attorney general, Menachem Mazuz, decided not to appeal a district court decision in Nazareth recognizing a same-sex couple in a recent inheritance ruling.

The year before, former attorney general, Elyakim Rubinstein, had ruled that Israel would not recognize same-sex couples.

According to Mazuz's decision, partners will not only be recognized in matters of taxation and real estate, but will also be able to transfer gifts between them without paying taxes.

Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, quoted an unnamed source close to Mazuz, saying, "There must be distinctions made between various types of property, with an emphasis on pragmatism and flexibility, in the spirit of the times and the changing reality as well as personal status, which requires a more cautious approach and is usually a matter for the legislature."

The Jerusalem Post quoted legal reporter Moshe Gorli, who said that the courts and the Knesset are already making preparations.

"The state of Israel will stop formally fighting against the efforts of same-sex couples to institutionalize their relationships. I think this is an honorable sign as to how far society and the state have come over the years," Gorli said.

The Jerusalem Post also heard from Knesset member Roman Bronfman. The paper said Bronfman described the attorney general's decision as "a milestone in the struggle of the gay community for equal rights and an expansion of the concept of the nuclear family."

While LGBT activists celebrated the decision, Agence France-Presse noted that some rabbis warned that Israel risked becoming another Sodom and Gomorrah. The rabbis claimed God destroyed the biblical cities because of their rampant homosexuality -- an interpretation other religious scholars reject.

Despite the religious opposition to same-sex couples in Israel, homosexuality has been legal in Israel since 1988.

Yoda

The God of Abraham has a lot to answer for.

Huzzah for Israel's attorney general!

Pet

Hah, as much as people say Israel is backwards and conservative, they still legalised homosexuality before we did.

I hate the Catholic Church...