Israelis are dealing with the aftermath of the shooting of two young people at at a gay club in Tel Aviv:
As hundreds of gay men and women gathered in mourning Sunday near the scene of the attack, Israel's bloodiest recorded assault on homosexuals, expressions of outrage came from national leaders, lawmakers across the political spectrum, and the Orthodox Jewish religious hierarchy. Some secular politicians called the shooting a hate crime and demanded an end to incitement against gays by elected officials, religious leaders and others.It's good to hear such strong condemnation from a nation's leader -- and a right-wing, conservative leader at that. In our country, we need secular politicians calling for "an end to incitement against gays by elected officials, religious leaders and others." In the U.S., that list of people who must stop inciting hate includes Catholic Church, the Mormon Church and Focus on the Family. Coincidentally, over the past few months, Obama has met with the Pope, the President-Prophet of the Mormons and had the leader of Focus on the Family to the White House. A good message from Obama to all of them would have been: stop spreading the anti-gay venom. But, you know that didn't happen.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned what he called a "horrific killing" and told his Cabinet, "We are a tolerant, democratic country governed by the rule of law, and we must respect each and every person."
