‘In the name of love’: Israel’s ‘pinkwashing’ obscures and legitimises violence against Palestinians

Some politicians in the Arab world opposing women’s and gay rights today are direct descendants of the Arab patriarchs that the West empowered.

Dec 1, 2023 - 20:30

‘In the name of love’: Israel’s ‘pinkwashing’ obscures and legitimises violence against Palestinians

Waging war in the name of love is as old as the myths from ancient Greece, considered to be the birthplace of western civilization. The legend is that their army sent a thousand ships to liberate Helen of Troy all “for love.”

This month, an image of an Israel Defense Forces soldier raising the rainbow flag, a global symbol of gay pride since the 1970s, went viral. The image was posted and shared by Israeli government social media accounts.

On the flag, the soldier had written, “in the name of love.” On social media, he wrote: “despite the pain of war - the IDF is the only army in the Middle East that defends democratic values. It is the only army that allows gay people the freedom to be who we are. And so I fully believe in the righteousness of our cause.”

This soldier’s post is part of a phenomenon called “pinkwashing” or “rainbow washing” and has been part of an Israeli message for years. The idea that Israel is liberating queer communities serves as one of the pretexts for legitimising its violence in Gaza and the Palestinian territories.

But the photo of the Israel Defense Forces soldier waving rainbow colours obscures nuance, context and history.