Ultra-Orthodox Knesset member says LGBTQ more dangerous to Israel than ISIS and Hamas

United Torah Judaism party’s Yitzhak Pindrus told Israel’s Channel 12 news that the LGBTQ movement is “the most dangerous thing for the State of Israel,” during an interview on Wednesday night. He named several Islamic terror groups in his list of dangerous movements.

“I realized that I may not have explained my message correctly [in previous statements]; now I will try to explain it better. In my view, the most dangerous thing for the State of Israel more than ISIS, more than Hezbollah, more than Hamas, is forbidden sexual relationships, because that's what the Torah says,” Pindrus said.

“Forget the economy, it's more dangerous than being without the IDF, it's the most dangerous thing the State of Israel has,” Pindrus continued, during his interview with TV host Nesli Barda, who identifies as lesbian.

“It [the Torah] says, ‘The country will vomit you up, they'll expel you from here’ and everything. Therefore, in my estimation, I have to not only prevent the gay pride parade but prevent this whole movement.”

The interview was not the first time Pindrus has aroused controversy in Israel for his strong opinions about the LGBTQ community.

In 2010, while serving as deputy mayor of Jerusalem, he submitted a request to hold a counter-protest parade against the Gay Pride March. He reportedly wanted to have donkeys in the parade to indicate his view of homosexuality as equivalent to bestiality. While his request was denied, Pindrus and his supporters held a counterprotest with placards depicting donkeys.

Last year, Pindrus said he would like to fix the Israeli Supreme Court by “blowing it up,” and in January, the ultra-Orthodox religious Knesset member walked out in protest when Likud party Knesset Member Amir Ohana, who is gay and married, made an acceptance speech.

While many politicians have been quick to criticize Pindrus’ inflammatory remarks, opposition leader Yair Lapid of the Yesh Atid party, spoke out against the religious lawmaker in the Knesset.

Putting on a kippah, “out of respect for the Torah,” Lapid questioned why Pindrus only focused on one particular sin from Leviticus 20.

“There are other sins, no less serious, that this passage also speaks of,” Lapid said before listing several sins from Leviticus that are also noted as deserving death.

Lapid, Israel’s former prime minister before the November 2022 election, noted that the Torah commands stoning for a child who curses his parents, while adding, “I really hope my sons are listening to this right now.”

He asked Pindrus, who was present in the Knesset gathering, “Why don’t you submit a law like this?” adding that there are “many more people in this country who don’t speak properly to their parents than gays.”

The opposition leader continued by saying the Bible declares certain sins to be worse than others, turning to Proverbs 6:16-19, where Solomon gives a list of seven things “that the LORD hates.”

“We have to choose between Pindrus and King Solomon. I choose Solomon,” Lapid concluded.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party also condemned Pindrus’ remarks, saying they “do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government.”

Many viewed the religious Knesset member’s remarks as tasteless, particularly as they came the day after a deadly attack in which four Israelis were killed.

Knesset Member Idan Roll of Yesh Atid said: “I did not expect Pindrus, who served in the army for a minute and a half, to understand Israel's security challenges and to know how to distinguish between gays and Hamas.”