“That can’t- no, you can’t just decla- I mean, of course you can, but not- I’m going to cry.”
Tel Aviv, November 1 – Media, activists, and political figures found themselves scrambling today to formulate a coherent response now that Israel’s prime minister, whom they have long characterized as fascist, far-right, racist, bloodthirsty, and irredeemable, has announced he identifies as a woman – pitting two of the cohort’s primary values against each other: anti-Zionism and pro-trans ideology.
“I am a proud trans woman,” declared Binyamin Netanyahu this morning at a press conference. “I embrace who I truly am inside, and celebrate my femininity.”
“Yass qu- wait, no, what?” reacted Guardian columnist Owen Jones. “That can’t- no, you can’t just decla- I mean, of course you can, but not- I’m going to cry.”
Other figures in progressive activism and politics reverted to stunned silence. Trans journalist Imara Jones issued a statement reading “…”
To date, the values of trans ideology and anti-Zionism have seldom clashed in significant ways. Backers of the former tick many of the same political sensibility boxes as backers of the latter; many prominent progressive Jews prioritize support for trans people over anything specifically Jewish in any case, let alone the security or legitimacy of the nation-state of the Jews. Netanyahu’s announcement has challenged the activists’ conviction that a person’s self-declared gender identity is not open to challenge; casting doubt on the sincerity of his pronouncement – calling it a cynical attempt to undermine progressive criticisms of him, his government, and his country – would fly in the face of a pillar of contemporary progressive ideology. Yet they cannot let go of the instinct to view any pronouncement of his as a cynical, evil act.
“We have to tread carefully,” acknowledged an activist with Amnesty International who spoke on condition of anonymity, given the sensitivity of the issue. “Of course no one wants to accept this. It’s Israel. For crying out loud, it’s Bibi. Satan incarnate. But, diabolically, he’s got us by the short ones. As soon as we carve out exceptions to the axiomatic ‘self-identify’ aspect of trans rights, we open the door to untold trouble. We’ve staked out an absolute position and have sworn to stick by it.”
“It’s bad enough that Tel Aviv, of all places, is one of the most popular destinations in the world for LGBTQ+ people,” the source continued. “Now there are going to be major divisions in the movement between those who lean more pro-trans and those who lean more anti-Israel.”
“For a little while, anyway,” they added. “In the end everyone comes back to antisemitism anyway.”
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