A gay Christian Palestinian living in Israel spoke on Sunday to a crowd of approximately 40 students about the persecution of homosexuals by the Palestinian Authority, and gay rights for Palestinian homosexuals.Sponsored by the Brandeis Israel Public Affairs Committee (BIPAC), Triskelion and Zionists for Historical Veracity, the event was primarily geared toward the education about human rights abuses in the Middle East.

Dressed in sunglasses and dark clothing to protect his identity when he returns to Israel, Eli said gay human rights are rarely addressed in the Middle East.

"In the Middle East they [the Palestinian Authority] don't like to talk about [gays] because it is not accepted," Eli said. "There will never be a time to talk about it, and there wasn't a time to talk about it."

Out of the Closet and into the Streets of Tel Aviv, a short movie describing gay rights in the Middle East, was shown before Eli's speech, depicting Israel, but more specifically Tel Aviv, as an accepting community for gays and lesbians.

Eli said Middle Eastern Islamic society is built upon honor and shame, so shameful topics such as adultery, premarital sex, boyfriends or girlfriends and abortion are not discussed. Eli said the Palestinian Authority actively discriminates against and persecutes homosexuals in their community.

Eli recounted when he was imprisoned and tortured for his homosexuality after being found with gay pornographic video tapes at the Jordan and Israeli border. After a whole day of physical abuse and being interrogated with such personal questions as "Who did you last sleep with?" and "What do you like in sex?" Eli admitted to the charge of bringing pornographic materials into Jordan and was forced to pay a fine for the offense.

"[Gays] are treated in an inhuman way," Eli said. "They are tortured and killed in some cases."

Eli also told the story of a 17-year-old Palestinian named Adam who was caught by his family with his boyfriend. He said is older brother tied Adam and his boyfriend up with a rope and proceeded to beat both of them with a stick. After his mother gave in and untied the boys, Adam fled to escape the rest of his family. Shortly thereafter the family held a funeral for Adam, because in their eyes, according to Eli, Adam was already dead because he had brought his family shame and offended its honor.

Not safe for long, Adam was arrested three times by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and taken into custody of the police. There he was tied up, beaten, locked in a room filled with bugs, forced to stand in a pool of dirty water for a few days, burned with cigarettes and coerced into sitting on broken bottles of glass.

Seeking refuge from the Palestinian Authority, Adam fled to Israel where he has since relocated to Europe with the help of "The Agudah" (the Association of Gay Men, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgender in Israel) where he is unafraid to be openly gay.

Eli attributes the lack of attention for gay rights to the primary focus of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

"Human rights groups are not doing enough about this issue because of the political situation in Israel," Eli said.

However, Eli said Israel's efforts to diversify its culture can help facilitate good will among the three religious.

"What is important in Israel is that it's always in progress...an important event in the holy city of Jerusalem is the world pride gay parade," Eli said. "There's no difference if you're Muslim, Jewish or Christian. It will always be a message of peace, love, hope, unity and freedom."

Rachel Present '06, a campus liaison for BIPAC, said the event highlighted key issues of human rights concerning Israel and the United States.

"Our emphasis is on the U.S.-Israeli alliance and that by showing Israel's respect for all human rights we can show another dimension of how the U.S. and Israel are partners for human rights and how important the U.S.-Israeli alliance is for both Israel and the U.S.," Present said.