ILGA World, an international LGBTQ+-rights group, has suspended member organisation The Aguda: The Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel after it put forward a motion to host its 2026-27 World Conference in Tel Aviv.
ILGA World stated: “The bid to host our next World Conference in Tel Aviv will not go forward and will not be put to a vote at the upcoming World Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, as it was found in violation of ILGA World’s aims and objectives set out in our Constitution.
“The ILGA World Board is also reviewing The Aguda’s compliance with our Constitution and has decided to suspend the organisation from our membership to allow for that to happen.
“ILGA World apologises. We know that seeing the Tel Aviv bid taken into consideration caused anger and harm to our communities. Our apology goes to our members, to our host organisations and our global communities—and especially to those in South Africa, who will soon host the global movement for our upcoming World Conference.
“We recognise the historical experience with apartheid and colonialism in South Africa: Even the possibility of voting on such a bid in their home country would have been at odds with the unequivocal solidarity for the Palestinian people.”
A spokesperson for Aguda replied: “deeply disappointed by the fact that ILGA chose to boycott those who work for LGBTQ+ rights and for a more just society. The Aguda has been working for over 50 years to aid the LGBTQ+ community and preserve all human rights, including helping LGBTQ+ people from the Arab community and Palestinian asylum seekers persecuted over their sexual and gender identity.”
A Wider Bridge, an American pro-Israel LGBTQ+-rights organisation, criticised ILGA’s decision, saying: ”We denounce the decision of the ILGA World board to suspend Israel’s leading LGBTQ organisation, Aguda, from the organisation and unilaterally cancelling Aguda’s bid to host an upcoming ILGA conference in Tel Aviv. This is outrageous and unacceptable.”