^abNeither performed nor recognized insome tribal nations of the US. Recognized but not performed in several other tribal nations andAmerican Samoa.
^Registered foreign marriages confer all marriage rights in Israel. Domestic common-law marriages confer most rights of marriage. Domestic civil marriage recognized by some cities.
^A "declaration of family relationship" is available in several of Cambodia's communes which may be useful in matters such as housing, but is not legally binding.
^Guardianship agreements confer some limited legal benefits in China, including decisions about medical and personal care.
^Hong Kong provides inheritance, guardianship rights, and residency rights for foreign spouses of legal residents.
Marriages performed in Israel are only legally recognized when registered with one of the 15 religious marital courts recognized by the state, none of which permit same-sex marriage. In November 2006, theHigh Court of Justice ruled that same-sex marriages performed abroad may be registered in Israel.[3] Consequently, Israeli same-sex couples who wished to have their marriages recognized by the government had to marry outside Israel, in a jurisdiction where such marriages were legal, and then register upon returning home. In July 2022, the Central District Court ruled that marriages performed via an online civil marriage service established by theU.S. state ofUtah, including same-sex marriages, are legal in Israel, removing the necessity of leaving the country to get married.[4][5] The ruling was upheld by theSupreme Court in 2023.[6]
Polling suggests that a majority ofIsraelis support the legal recognition of same-sex unions,[7] with a June 2019 opinion poll conducted byHiddush showing that 78% of Israelis supported recognizing same-sex unions.[8]
The religious authority forJewish marriages is theChief Rabbinate of Israel, and there are parallel religious authorities forChristians,Muslims, andDruze, with a total of 15 religious courts. These regulatemarriages anddivorces for their own communities. Currently, they all oppose same-sex marriages. If the views of one of these bodies were to change, however, it would be legal for members of that community to enter into religious same-sex marriages in Israel. Non-religious same-sex wedding ceremonies without legal significance are commonly conducted in Israel, most notably inTel Aviv.[3] The first unofficial municipal wedding took place in August 2009, following theTel Aviv Pride Parade; five couples were married by MayorRon Huldai. The traditional verse for wedding ceremonies fromPsalm 137, "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither...", was used, but replacingJerusalem withTel Aviv, Israel's most gay-friendly city.[9][10] 23 couples held an unofficial mass wedding ceremony in Tel Aviv on 4 June 2019.[11][12][13]
Israel does not performcivil marriages. As a result,Israelis not affiliated with anyreligion,secular Jews not wishing to marry in the rabbinical courts, same-sex couples, and someRussian andEthiopian Jews, who cannot prove their Jewish heritage to the satisfaction of rabbinical authorities, cannot marry in the religious courts. Many couples go toCyprus to marry;[14] however, same-sex marriageis not legal in Cyprus, and as a result same-sex couples often travel toWestern Europe,Canada or theUnited States to marry. Despite this fact, unmarried same-sex and opposite-sex couples have equal access to virtually all of the rights of married couples in the form of an "unregistered cohabitation" status (Hebrew:קוהביטציה שאינה רשומה,[15]kohabitatzyah she'einah reshumah,pronounced[kohabitatsˈjahʃeʔeiˈnahʁeʃuˈmah];Arabic:المساكنة غير المسجلة,al-musākanah ghayr al-musajjalah) similar tocommon-law marriage.
Same-sex marriages performed abroad in a jurisdiction where such marriages are legal can be recorded with theAdministration of Border Crossings, Population and Immigration, according to a November 2006 ruling by theHigh Court of Justice. The case was filed by five male Israeli couplesmarried in Canada who sought recognition of their marriage back home in Israel. The court ruled 6–1 that the government must register same-sex marriages performed abroad. One of the plaintiffs said, "I am glad we won and got what we wanted to achieve in this petition, which was the basic right to be registered as married by the Israeli Ministry of Interior, just as any couple marrying abroad does and takes it for granted."[16] Lawyers for the couples cited a Supreme Court case from 1962 that the government must register civil marriages performed abroad.[14]LGBTQ advocates welcomed the court decision. It was strongly condemned by Orthodox Jewish politicians, however, including byUnited Torah Judaism MKMoshe Gafni, who called the ruling "the destruction of the family unit in the state of Israel".[17]
In December 2012, afamily court inRamat Gan granted a married same-sex couple a legal divorce.[18] This was the first decision of its kind, setting a non-bindingprecedent.
In December 2016,Attorney GeneralAvichai Mandelblit instructed theInterior Ministry to consider applications forcitizenship by same-sex and opposite-sex couples equally under the same terms. The same-sex spouse of an Israeli citizen is now able to claimIsraeli citizenship after the same interval as an opposite-sex spouse. Previously, same-sex couples had to wait up to seven years, and would generally only be grantedpermanent residency rather than citizenship. The process was far easier for opposite-sex couples.[19] The decision came in response to a lawsuit filed with the High Court of Justice by the Israeli Gay Fathers Association.
In June 2020, officials inTel Aviv-Yafo Municipality announced they would register interfaith and cohabiting same-sex couples as married. MayorRon Huldai said the move makes those who register eligible for housing tax discounts as well as easing enrollment of their children in public daycares and schools. The move was widely regarded as a protest against the government's refusal to legalize civil marriage.[20] In November 2020, officials in Ramat Gan made a similar announcement. MayorCarmel Shama said the measure had been approved almost unanimously by the city administration, and that it would permit same-sex couples who married abroad to register as married on city documents and be treated on par with married couples fortax and other purposes.[21]
As a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic, couples unable to legally marry in Israel could not travel overseas to marry due to restrictions on international travel. Around 500 couples decided to marry through an online civil marriage service established by theU.S. state ofUtah. The marriage is officiated byZoom and for an additional fee the couple can obtain anapostille validation stamp for the marriage license provided by Utah state authorities. In June 2021, the Population and Immigration Authority of the Interior Ministry, led by MinisterAyelet Shaked, who is opposed to civil marriage, announced it would not register the marriages, arguing that the weddings were performed in Israel, where there is no provision for civil marriage. Attorney Vlad Finkelshtein rejected this claim, tellingThe Jerusalem Post that "every aspect of the wedding was performed in Utah, the office of the marriage registrar was in Utah, and that the computer and the IP address from which the ceremony was broadcast were in Utah".[22] The Interior Ministry instructed to freeze the procedure after three marriages were recognized by the Population Authority, prompting dozens of couples to seek legal action.
Judge Efrat Fink of the Central District Court inLod ruled on 7 July 2022 that the Interior Ministry must recognize all the online marriages. MKYorai Lahav-Hertzanu welcomed the ruling, saying that it "is important and just, and it simply states the obvious – a couple who marries abroad (even via Zoom) must be recognized in Israel. I urge the state not to appeal this ruling." RabbiAaron Leibowitz said, "It is unthinkable to me that a country can allow any of its citizens to become dependent on a foreign entity for such a basic need and right as marriage. This is discriminatory, and causes tremendous pain and alienation, not to mention considerable expense. The rabbinate's position portrays a religion obsessed with controlling others even in the most personal of ways." MKAvi Maoz of the extremistNoam party, known for his violent anti-LGBT beliefs and opposing women serving in theIsrael Defense Forces, said that the ruling was "ignoring policy that has been in effect for decades. It's unthinkable that judges in Israel undermine the Jewish state and carry out a quiet coup to make Israel a people's state. God willing, this will be rectified soon."Aryeh Deri urged Attorney GeneralGali Baharav-Miara tointervene and seek astay of the ruling.[4][23] The decision means that couples need not leave Israel to marry any longer;[24] they may be wed in Israel using the online marriage service and then register their marriage with the state, allowing them to apply for government benefits offered to married couples. The decision was upheld by the Supreme Court on 7 March 2023.[25]
TheIsrael Central Bureau of Statistics reported in 2019 that 1,151 same-sex couples had registered their foreign weddings in Israel since 2006. Male couples accounted for the majority of registrations at 61%.[26][27][28]
Signs supporting same-sex marriage in Israel inHerzliya, 2012
In February 2009, MKNitzan Horowitz introduced a civil marriage bill which included provisions for same-sex marriages.[29] The bill was rejected by theKnesset in May 2012, in a 39 to 11 vote, with 70 MKs not attending.[30][31]
In March 2010, the Knesset passed theCivil Union Law for Citizens with No Religious Affiliation, 2010.[a] The law allows opposite-sex couples, but not same-sex couples, to form acivil union in Israel if they are both registered as officially not belonging to any religion.[33] In October 2012, the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the law.[34] By 2016, only 121 couples had entered into civil unions.[35]
In June 2013,Hatnuah MKs, led byJustice MinisterTzipi Livni, introduced a bill to establish civil unions in Israel for both opposite-sex and same-sex couples.[36] In October 2013,Yesh Atid MKs, led byFinance MinisterYair Lapid, introduced a similar bill.[37]Meretz MKZehava Gal-On introduced a civil marriage bill which included provisions for same-sex marriages.[38] On 8 July 2015, the Knesset rejected the civil union bill proposed by Yesh Atid, and the civil marriage bill proposed by Meretz. The Knesset voted 39–50 to reject the two bills.[38] Hatnuah's bill was rejected by the Knesset on 22 February 2016 in a 40–47 vote.[39] A same-sex marriage bill failed in the Knesset in June 2018 by three votes, 42 to 39. The bill's sponsor, MKStav Shaffir fromThe Zionist Union, blamed its failure on MKs from thecoalition government who promised publicly that they would vote in favor, but instead chose to vote against or abstain from voting.[40][41][42] The vote happened shortly after an estimated 250,000 people marched in the Tel Aviv Pride Parade, and anopinion poll found that a majority of Israelis supported same-sex marriage.[43]
In August 2022, Prime Minister Lapid urged the Knesset to legalize same-sex marriage. Citing opinion polls, he said, "If most of the public is with us, why did all our bills on the matters fall or get stuck? Why am I the first Israeli prime minister to arrive at an event for the gay community?" Lapid accused other politicians of being "scared" of supporting same-sex marriage.[44]
In November 2015, the National LGBT Taskforce of Israel petitioned theSupreme Court to allow same-sex marriage in the country, arguing that the refusal of the rabbinical court to recognize same-sex marriage should not prevent civil courts from performing same-sex marriages. The court did not immediately rule against the validity of the petition.[45] In January 2017, at a public hearing and in its capacity as the High Court of Justice, two justices of the court implied the issue of civil and same-sex marriage was the responsibility of the Knesset, rather than the courts.[46] The court handed down its ruling inIsrael Organization for Protection of Individual Rights v. Ministry of Interior on 31 August 2017, determining that the issue was the responsibility of the Knesset, and not the judiciary.[47][48]
After theApril 2019 elections and the election of a record five openly LGBT MKs, it was announced that the Knesset would replace the term "husband and wife" with "couple" on all its official documents, and would grant equal rights to the partners of LGBT legislators, such as permanent entry passes to the Knesset, authorization to drive Knesset-issued cars assigned to their partners, and invitations to all official ceremonies and events.[49]
In November 2023, the Knesset passed an amendment to theFamilies of Fallen Soldiers Law requiring theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) to recognise the surviving partners of LGBT soldiers. Omer Ohana, whose partnerSagi Golan, an IDF reservist who died inBe'eri during aHamas attack on 7 October 2023, campaigned for the change.[50] Ohana had previously been unable to fully participate in ashiva ceremony and under the law was not recognized as Golan's widower. The law now defines an IDF widower or widow as a person whose partner waskilled in combat regardless of gender.[51]
Political parties and alliances represented in the Knesset, as of 2024, that have expressed support for same-sex marriage include theNational Unity,[52]The Democrats,New Hope,Yesh Atid, andHadash.[53][54] Some former parties, such asHatnuah andKulanu, also supported same-sex marriage. Thegovernment sworn in after the2021 election included a theoretical majority of parties in favour of same-sex marriage: Yesh Atid,Blue and White,Labor, New Hope, andMeretz. However, the government also included socially conservative parties strongly opposed to LGBT rights. In June 2021,Nitzan Horowitz, the leader of Meretz, said the coalition agreement included "a clear commitment to advance the rights of the LGBT community in Israel" and "recognize the status of unmarried couples, including partners of the same sex, as married".[55] Thecurrent government includes some far-right, Orthodox Jewish parties which oppose same-sex marriage.[56]
Yesh Atid: The party supports same-sex marriage,[52] and the establishment of civil marriage in Israel. Party leaderYair Lapid strongly supports both. In a survey conducted byChannel 13 ahead of the2022 elections, 16 of the 17 Yesh Atid MKs said they supported same-sex marriage, with one MK,Elazar Stern, declining to comment.[64]
Shas: Although the party is consistently conservative on matters of religion and state, Shas MKYa'akov Margi told Jewish Pluralism Watch, in response to its question on LGBT rights, that "Israeli citizens' rights cannot be neglected, no matter what they think and how they behave in their personal lives".[58] In September 2017, Shas MKYigal Guetta resigned from the Knesset under pressure from rabbis after attending the marriage of his gay nephew.[65]
National Unity: The political alliance supports LGBT rights. Ahead of theSeptember 2019 election, MK Yair Lapid, as part ofBlue and White, stated that the alliance would legalize same-sex marriage if elected to government.[66] In a survey conducted by Channel 13 ahead of the 2022 elections, 7 of the 8 Blue and White MKs said they supported same-sex marriage, with one MK,Mufid Mari, declining to comment.[64]
National Religious Party–Religious Zionism: The party, formed by the merger of theReligious Zionist Party andThe Jewish Home, is socially conservative, and opposes civil marriage and the recognition of same-sex relationships.[68][69] While The Jewish Home opposed same-sex marriage on religious grounds, it was in favor of extending certain rights, such as tax breaks, to same-sex couples.[69]
Yisrael Beiteinu: Although the party is a supporter of civil marriage in general, it has not taken a clear position on the subject of LGBT rights.[69][58] On the electoral compass devised by Kieskompas for the 2015 election, Yisrael Beiteinu was categorized as "Tend to disagree" with the statement "Same-sex marriage should be legalized".[63] Party leaderAvigdor Lieberman expressed his support for same-sex marriage in 2022.[64]
Hadash–Ta'al: Although the alliance has no official stance on LGBT rights, leaderAyman Odeh has expressed support for same-sex marriage.[52]Hadash, one of the parties forming the alliance, explicitly supports same-sex marriage.
The Democrats: Formed by the merger of theIsraeli Labor Party andMeretz in 2024, The Democrats is one of the most left-leaning parties in the Knesset. It supports same-sex marriage, with all four of its MKs being in favor.[64] In 2019, the Labor Party made the legalization of same-sex marriage a condition for joining a coalition government.[70]Tamar Zandberg reiterated Meretz's support ahead of theApril 2019 election. The party's leader from 2019 to 2022, Nitzan Horowitz, is openly gay. In a survey conducted by Channel 13 ahead of the 2022 elections, 5 of the 6 Meretz MKs said they supported same-sex marriage, with one MK,Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi, declining to comment.[64]
New Hope: In a survey conducted by Channel 13 ahead of the 2022 elections, 4 of the 5 New Hope MKs said they supported same-sex marriage, with one MK declining to comment.[64]
United Arab List: The party is socially conservative, and opposes LGBT rights.
Meretz and Hadash have long had LGBT divisions. In 2009,Kadima became the first major party of thecenter to establish an LGBT division, and Labor and Likud soon followed suit.[77][78][79] Yesh Atid also has an LGBT division.
Support for same-sex marriage among 18–21-year-olds according to a 2016 survey from theVarkey Foundation
According to a Dialog poll conducted in August 2009, 61% of Israelis supported equal marriage rights for same-sex couples, with 31% opposed.[80] 60% supported jointadoption by same-sex couples, with 34% opposed.[80] A June 2016 poll showed that 76% of respondents supported civil unions or same-sex marriage, including 46% ofReligious Zionists and 16% ofHaredi Jews.[81] A September–October 2016 survey by theVarkey Foundation found that 50% of 18–21-year-olds supported same-sex marriage in Israel.[82]
A Rafi Smith Institute poll conducted in June 2017 askedIsraelis, "Do you think same-sex couples should be permitted to marry or have civil unions in Israel?" 79% expressed support for either same-sex marriage or civil unions. When divided by political affiliation, 100% ofMeretz andZionist Union (Labor andHatnuah) voters were in favour of recognizing same-sex unions, as well as 94% ofYesh Atid voters, 90% ofKulanu voters, 84% ofLikud voters, 83% ofYisrael Beiteinu voters, and 65% ofThe Jewish Home voters. A majority ofShas andUnited Torah Judaism voters were against recognizing same-sex unions. The margin of error was 4.5%.[83][84][85]
A June 2018 survey found that 58% of Israelis were in favour of same-sex marriage. Additionally, 59 Knesset members (MKs) responded to the survey. Of these, 47 expressed support for same-sex marriage, while the remaining 12 expressed opposition. When divided by political parties, all Meretz and Labor lawmakers responded and answered "yes" when asked if they supported same-sex marriage. 4 Likud lawmakers expressed support, while 2 said they were opposed; the remaining did not answer. Kulanu had two supportive MKs, with the rest not responding. The Jewish Home, Shas, and United Torah Judaism together had 5 opposed MKs, and none in favour. TheJoint List had two in support, five in opposition, and six who did not answer. No Yisrael Beiteinu lawmaker responded to the survey.[43] LGBT activists subsequently urged the Knesset to act on the issue and legalize same-sex marriage, as "there is broad public support".
An opinion poll conducted byHiddush and published in June 2019 showed that 78% of Israelis supported same-sex marriage or partnerships. Asked, "In your opinion, should couples of the same sex be allowed to marry or register as partners in Israel?", 78% answered positively, whereas 22% objected to the idea. Broken down by level of religiosity, 93% ofsecular Jews and 54% of religious Jews expressed support. When asked, "Assuming that same-sex marriages or partnerships are instituted in Israel, do you think that such couples should enjoy all the rights of a married couple consisting of a man and a woman?", 73% were in support, 9% believed only some rights should be granted, while 19% were opposed to any rights. The poll had a margin of error of 4.5%.[8]
APew Research Center poll conducted between February and May 2023 showed that 36% of Israelis supported same-sex marriage, 56% were opposed and 8% did not know or had refused to answer. When divided by political affiliation, support was highest among those on the left of the political spectrum at 60%, followed by those at the center at 57% and those on the right at 21%. 41% of Jewish respondents supported same-sex marriage, compared to 8% of Muslim respondents. Support was highest among secular Jews at around 75%, but decreased significantly to 29% support amongMasorti Jews and 4% support among Haredi and Dati Jews.[86]
A May 2023 poll byChannel 13 found that 61% of Israelis supported equal rights for LGBT people. In addition, 52% of respondents supported same-sex marriage, while 36% were opposed.[7]
^abc"האם צריך לאפשר נישואים אזרחיים?" [Should civil marriages be allowed?].mako.co.il (in Hebrew). 4 April 2019.Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved21 September 2019.
^Liebman, Carmel (8 September 2019)."פרסום ראשון: כך נראה קמפיין הלהט"ב לעידוד הצבעה" [First publication: This is what the LGBT campaign looks like to encourage voting].mako.co.il (in Hebrew).Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved21 September 2019.
^Broadbent, Emma; Gougoulis, John; Lui, Nicole; Pota, Vikas; Simons, Jonathan (January 2017)."What The World's Young People Think And Feel"(PDF).Varkey Foundation.Archived(PDF) from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved14 April 2021.
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