Organizers of gay pride parade in Rome ban Jewish groups that do not agree to condemn Israel and back allegations of genocide in the Gaza Strip.By World Israel News StaffOrganizers of the Rome Pride Parade have informed Jewish LGBT groups Keshet Italia and Keshet Europe that they will not be allowed to take part in next month’s parade with a float, after accusing them of refusing to clearly condemn what the organizers called Israeli “genocide” in Gaza.The decision, announced by Roma Pride after a meeting with representatives of the two groups, has opened a dispute inside Italy’s LGBT community over antisemitism, Israel, Gaza and the political tests applied to Jewish participants in gay pride events.Roma Pride said the June 20 parade remains open to anyone who shares the movement’s values, but said floats carry political responsibility and must align with the event’s political platform.“Anyone who shares the founding values of our movement and our community can join us in the streets,” Roma Pride said in a statement posted on its website and Facebook page. But, it added, the participation of a float requires “a clear and unequivocal stance condemning the genocide perpetrated by the Israeli government.”The organizers said they were able to distinguish between the Israeli government and Jewish people, including Jewish LGBT people, and did not hold the Jewish community responsible for Israel’s military actions.But they said Keshet Italia had not taken the position demanded by the parade.“We do, however, hold Keshet Italia responsible for having failed, and continuing to fail, to distance itself from the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” the statement said. Roma Pride also criticized what it called Keshet’s “not acceptable lexical distinction” in a recent document about the war.Keshet Italia responded by accusing Roma Pride of excluding Jews because they would not adopt the organizers’ language.“The Roma Pride has shown its true colors,” Keshet Italia said in a statement cited in the report. “Our crime? To be Jewish. This is just the last step in a hostile path.”The group said it had faced explicit antisemitic attacks during last year’s parade and accused Roma Pride of failing to condemn them. “Today, that silence has become active complicity,” Keshet said.In an earlier Instagram statement, Keshet Italia said it felt close to Palestinian suffering but objected to the use of the term “genocide” as a political litmus test for Jewish LGBTQ groups.“The word ‘genocide’ is not neutral; it evokes a specific historic [occurrence],” Keshet said. The group said it was especially concerned by claims that “the Jewish people are carrying out what they were subjected to,” arguing that such language shifts blame from a government to Jews collectively.Israel has repeatedly allegations that it is committing genocide in Gaza, saying it is fighting Hamas after the October 7, 2023, attack and seeks to minimize civilian casualties. In proceedings at the International Court of Justice, Israel called South Africa’s genocide case “false” and “grossly distorted,” arguing that Hamas embeds among civilians and that Israel’s war is one of self-defense.The Rome dispute follows similar tensions at Italian Pride events over the past two years.In 2024, Keshet Italia withdrew from several gay pride marches, saying the atmosphere had become unsafe and hostile for Jewish LGBT participants.The group’s president, Raffaele Sabbadini, told Pagine Ebraiche at the time that the decision not to participate was “difficult, but necessary,” saying the atmosphere inside the movement had become “unbearable.”Roma Pride organizers said in 2024 that Keshet would have been welcome and that they had tried to ensure the group could take part safely.But the friction continued into 2025, when the Rome parade held a five-minute silence for Gaza and most floats raised Palestinian flags or symbols. LaPresse reported that Keshet Europe did not join that symbolic action despite being invited to do so.The Rome Pride website says this year’s parade is scheduled for June 20, 2026. The event is organized by the Circolo di Cultura Omosessuale Mario Mieli, one of Italy’s best-known LGBT organizations.Roma Pride said its political document is not optional for groups seeking float approval. “Our political document is not a buffet from which it is possible to discard and ignore individual unwanted dishes,” the organizers said.The statement also said the parade supports “the right to exist and resist of the Palestinian people,” while accusing Israel’s government of criminal and genocidal conduct.The post Rome gay pride parade bans Jewish groups appeared first on World Israel News.