Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara met with representatives from the LGBTQ community at the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem.
The meeting was held at the request of Likud MK Amir Ohana, who along with Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel and Likud MK Yoav Kisch, was also in attendance at Sunday's event.
"I hear you, I will work for you. Your stories are heartbreaking," Netanyahu told those in attendance.
To ease the community's concerns over the possibility Habayit Hayehudi leader Bezalel Smotrich would be appointed education minister under a Netanyahu government and take advantage of that role to condemn same-sex relationships, Netanyahu reiterated his intention to task a Likud party member with the education portfolio.
The prime minister cited opposition to the promotion of LGBTQ rights from members of the religious parties as a possible impediment to the promotion of LGBTQ issues.
Ohana, himself the first openly gay Likud Knesset member, called the meeting "precedential and important." He said, "The Likud intends to act in order to continue to promote LGBTQ issues."
Eran Globus, chairman of the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance, noted that "the prime minister reiterated his commitment to the LGBTQ community and in particular to the youth and to change in the education system."
But he said, "We expect these important promises to turn into deeds and hope for the beginning of productive dialogue with the prime minister and the entire Likud movement."
Other LGBTQ groups appeared skeptical at the possibility of change.
"Unfortunately, with the exception of hugs and warm words, we have not received any commitment to prevent LGBTQ-phobia incitement or any commitment to ending discrimination," the Association for the LGBT Community in Israel posted on its Facebook page shortly after Sunday's meeting.
Ohad Hizki, who heads Aguda - The Israeli National LGBT Task Force, said that despite the lack of concrete promises, the meeting had symbolic significance.
"We hope that the positive and beautiful statements that we heard today will be translated in the next term into legislation," he said. "We will uphold our right to equality and we will not be left with empty promises like we have heard so far," said Hizki.
A statement from the Labor party referred to the meeting with LGBTQ leaders as more than election "spin," just days before Israelis head to the polls to vote in what is expected to be an extremely tight race.
Last year, Netanyahu came under fierce criticism from the LGBTQ community after he voted against expanding a surrogacy bill to apply to same-sex couples, despite having voiced his support for the legislation just two days earlier. While lawmakers expanded the bill to include single women, men were not granted the same rights.
At the time, Netanyahu said that the Knesset did not have enough support from the coalition to pass the bill.
Israel has been a trailblazer when it comes to gay rights but same-sex relationships remain a taboo among religious conservatives who prop up Netanyahu's right-wing government. The premier relies on ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties Shas and United Torah Judaism, both of which are against families with same-sex parents.
