The Reality the World Ignores: Israel’s Human Rights Pioneering in the Middle East.
Israel is not above criticism, no democracy is. But the criticism must be proportionate, consistent, and grounded in truth. Right now, it isn’t.
Written By: Thando Nzimande
Israel is the only country in the Middle East where citizens enjoy full civil liberties under the law. It has free elections, an independent judiciary, a vibrant press, and constitutional protections for minorities. These facts are not disputed, they are measurable. Yet, they are routinely ignored in favour of a single, narrow narrative.
Global discourse often focuses exclusively on Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians. While criticism of Israeli policies is fair game in any democracy, it becomes disingenuous when the only democracy in the Middle East is judged more harshly than regimes that jail journalists, execute dissidents, and criminalize basic freedoms. Context matters. And when Israel is held to a higher standard than countries around it, it becomes clear that human rights are not the only concern, politics is.
LGBTQ+ Rights: One Safe Country
In Israel, LGBTQ+ people live openly and with legal protection. Same-sex relationships are legal. Marriages performed abroad are recognized. Anti-discrimination laws cover employment, healthcare, and housing. Pride parades in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa are lawful and protected by police.
In the IDF, LGBTQ+ individuals serve openly. LGBTQ+ politicians sit in the Knesset. Community centers and health services for LGBTQ+ citizens are publicly funded.
Now compare that to these regions:
Iran: Same-sex activity is punishable by death.
Saudi Arabia: Homosexuality is a criminal offense with prison, flogging, or execution.
Gaza: LGBTQ+ people face arrest and torture.
Egypt: Dozens jailed under “debauchery” laws in recent years.
Only Israel in this region offers legal protection, public representation, and freedom for LGBTQ+ people. This is not an opinion, it is a fact. And ignoring it only distorts the human rights conversation.
Women’s Rights: A Regional Outlier
Women in Israel vote, drive, own property, serve in the military, lead companies, and hold high public office. Golda Meir became Prime Minister in 1969. In 2024, women make up over a quarter of the Knesset. The Chief Justice of Israel’s Supreme Court is a woman.
Women head hospitals, universities, law firms, and tech startups. They command military combat units and serve as ambassadors. Workplace discrimination is illegal. Maternity leave and equal pay are enforced by law.
This is not the norm in the Middle East:
Saudi Arabia: Women only began driving in 2018.
Iran: Hijab is compulsory; women are regularly arrested for protest.
Afghanistan: Girls are banned from secondary schools.
Yemen, Syria, Iraq: Women's legal rights are severely limited in family and property law.
In regional terms, Israel is not simply progressive, it is in a different category. It is the only country in the Middle East where gender equality is institutionalized.
Religious Minorities: Protected and Represented
Roughly 20% of Israeli citizens are Arab, mostly Muslim. Arabic is used in courts, schools, and official communications. Religious minorities including Christians, Muslims, Druze, and Bahá’ís have legal autonomy over marriage, education, and religious institutions. Arab Israeli judges sit on the Supreme Court. Muslim Members of Knesset legislate national law. Mosques operate freely. Eid and Ramadan are officially recognized.
Regionally, this is exceptional and something that has never before been seen unlike in other countries where:
Saudi Arabia: No churches allowed.
Iran: Bahá’ís are denied higher education and jobs.
Turkey and Egypt: Christians face systemic persecution and church attacks.
Israel is the only country in the Middle East where religious freedom is not only protected it is practiced.
Free Press, Rule of Law, Democratic Norms
Israel has dozens of newspapers, TV channels, and independent investigative outlets. Journalists operate without censorship. Activists protest freely. Prime Ministers and Presidents have been investigated, indicted, and even imprisoned because the law applies to all and there are no exceptions.
However, if you compare that with other states in the area like:
Iran: State-run media; journalists are routinely arrested.
Lebanon: Political censorship and harassment of critics is frequent.
Egypt: Dozens of journalists in prison for exposing opposing views.
Gulf states: No freedom of expression; dissent is criminalized.
Israel ranks far ahead of all its neighbours in every global index of press freedom, judicial independence, and civil liberties.
A Misplaced Global Focus
Israel is the only Middle Eastern country scrutinized daily by the UN Human Rights Council while states like Syria, Iran, and Yemen face little sustained attention. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International publish more reports on Israel than on nearly all other Middle Eastern countries combined. Meanwhile, Israel remains the only regional country where human rights NGOs operate freely, publish publicly, and engage with government institutions without fear of arrest.
This imbalance has consequences: it warps the global understanding of what actually happens in the region. And it punishes the one country that’s doing most of the work to uphold universal values.
The Standard Should Be Universal
Israel is not above criticism, no democracy is. But the criticism must be proportionate, consistent, and grounded in truth. Right now, it isn’t.
Israel is the only country in the Middle East that protects LGBTQ+ people, empowers women, guarantees religious freedom, and upholds democratic institutions. These are not slogans. They are verifiable facts. If human rights matter, they must matter everywhere. And if standards are to be applied, they must be applied fairly.
Judging Israel while ignoring far worse abuses elsewhere reveals not moral clarity, but selective outrage. That undermines not only Israel, but the credibility of human rights discourse itself.
Thando Nzimande is a writer and postgraduate student with a background in neuroscience and biomedical science. A former Wits SRC Subcommittee leader, he championed student welfare and academic access, and is now pursuing a Postgraduate Diploma in Management in Monitoring and Evaluation with a focus on data-driven impact. His work blends academic rigor, leadership experience, and a passion for meaningful change.