Drama unfolding in Israel over Surrogacy law

Everyone in the Surrogacy world, Simple Surrogacy in particular, was so excited to see Gay couples and singles about to be considered equal in the eye of the surrogacy laws in Israel. Now, it seems that the law is far from guaranteed, and has been quashed or at leasts postponed by Minister Ariel. We still hold out hope for the Gays and Singles in Israel that they might be considered equal and be able to undergo surrogacy without going overseas.

The homosexual community in Israel was outraged on Friday after discovering that Housing Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) had appealed against a law that would allow same-sex couples to undergo the surrogacy process in Israel instead of having to do so abroad.

The bill, which was authored by Health Minister Yael German (Yesh Atid), narrowly passed the Ministerial Committee for Legislation with the approval of seven ministers from Yesh Atid, the Likud and Hatnua. Five ministers from the Jewish Home and Yisrael Beytenu voted against it.

The bill would have gone on to the Cabinet for approval, but is now likely to be quashed due to Ariel’s appeal.

In response to Ariel’s appeal, the homosexual community vented its frustration, but television host, writer and producer Gal Uchovsky took things a bit far.

“Uri Ariel, on behalf of me, my family and on behalf of all homosexuals in Israel: Damn you. May you go to hell and have trouble. I hope that no trace is left of you and your entire family. Curse you and your memory,” Uchovsky said, according to Channel 2 News.

Assi Azar, co-host of the Israeli version of the “Big Brother” reality program, sent a letter of protest to Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett.

“Mr. Ariel’s ugly act deeply hurt people, whose only desire is to establish a home in Israel, have children, raise a family…all I have left to say to you and to your friends in the party today is shame on you!” wrote Azar.

“You had a golden opportunity to be a true leader, to change, but you chose to be a coward and sent Ariel to pull a dirty trick,” he added.

Minister German, who initiated the law, said earlier Friday that she had felt as though “a knife was stuck in my back and heart when I heard about the appeal filed by Uri Ariel.”

German emphasized that before submitting the law to committee, she sat long hours with members of the Jewish Home party, “to locate the painful issues for them, to smooth over, to remove and add. It was clear they would vote against it, but it was also obvious after the adjustments we made that no appeal would be submitted.”

The issue of gay marriages and rights has been a point of contention between Jewish Home and Yesh Atid, two parties which disagree on a host of issues but which formed a pact after last year’s election to join the coalition together.

MK Adi Kol of Yesh Atid has been trying to legislate civil marriage in Israel. She also initiated a bill to give same-sex couples equal tax breaks, a bill which Jewish Home initially opposed but eventually compromised on by not having the bill give same-sex couples official recognition, thereby sparing Jewish Home from being perceived as officially supporting gay marriage.

Jewish Home, as well as Likud Beytenu, drew criticism for failing to vote against the bill, which passed; Bennett voted for the bill while the rest of Jewish Home abstained.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)