The Palestinian Police in the West Bank have banned a Palestinian LGBTQ rights group from organizing any activities, saying such activities go against the "values of Palestinian society."
According to Palestinian media, activists were barred from holding rallies or pride parades and were warned that doing so would result in their arrest.
Palestinian Authority Police Spokesman Louay Arzeikat said that such events organized by the group Al Qaws for Sexual & Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society "go against and infringe upon the higher principles and values of Palestinian society."
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Established in 2001, al Qaws ("Rainbow") is a nongovernmental organization that aims to "support gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Palestinians and Arab Israelis." It serves as an umbrella organization for several smaller rights groups as well.
Arzeikat asserted that "suspicious individuals" were trying to "sow discord and undermine Palestinian society's peaceful state of affairs." He called on Palestinians to report on any al Qaws activity, promising informers confidentiality, and said that the police would pursue al Qaws's activists and turn them over to judicial authorities if they are apprehended.
The statement followed a Facebook post by al Qaws, saying it planned to hold a gathering in Nablus on Aug. 4 that discussed gender pluralism in the city.
Al Qaws condemned the police statement and urged authorities to familiarize themselves with its work.
Haneen Maiki, the group's director told Palestinian news site Ultra Palestine that despite the police's statement, the group "would continue its work in different parts of Palestine, while taking into account the generally loaded atmosphere because of media outlets and the police's incitement, so that we do not put any of our activists or friends at risk."
