As the Middle East plunges deeper into chaos, the confrontation between Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran has escalated into full-scale warfare, pulling in global powers like the United States. But this is no ordinary military conflict — it is a clash between two irreconcilable worldviews. On one side stands Israel: a democratic state that, despite its imperfections, protects freedom of speech, pluralism, and LGBTQ+ rights. On the other stands Iran: a brutal theocracy that jails dissidents, exports terrorism, destabilizes the Arab world, and executes people for who they are — especially if they are gay.
Iran is not just undemocratic — it is the most dangerous regime in the region, and a direct threat to the very values that free societies uphold. It colonizes Arab lands, fuels sectarian militias, and imposes medieval laws that criminalize identity itself. With over 4,300 executions of LGBTQ+ individuals since 1979, according to multiple human rights sources, the Islamic Republic is among the world’s most violent persecutors of sexual minorities.
This stark contrast highlights two fundamentally opposing visions of human rights—where the religious obscurantism of one stands in direct opposition to the progressive openness of the other. The fate of thousands of individuals hangs between these two poles: one perpetuating brutal repression, the other striving to embrace diversity. It serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing global struggle for fundamental rights and human dignity.
In this context, no one who genuinely supports human rights — let alone leads a gay rights organization — can remain silent, let alone side with Tehran. Mounir Baatour, president of the Parti Libéral Tunisien and the LGBTQ+ rights group Shams, has consistently chosen clarity over cowardice. An openly gay lawyer and activist, Baatour has long advocated for normalization with Israel — not out of provocation, but out of principle. Israel, unlike Iran, defends the lives and dignity of people like him. The choice is moral, not political.
Far from being a “fifth column,” as accused by reactionaries, Baatour was ahead of his time. In a televised debate aired on Tunisna on April 19, 2018, he directly confronted Tunisian MP Ammar Amroussia, who had theatrically torn up the Israeli flag in parliament to support criminalizing ties with the Jewish state. What followed was more than a political disagreement — it was a moral showdown between populist hate and principled humanism.
Video Title: “Liberal Tunisian Party Head Baatour: ‘Normalization of Ties with Israel Is in Tunisia’s Best Interests’”
Available on: YouTube Subtitles: Provided by MEMRI TV (English translation)
As the host Walid Zribi posed the question of whether normalization with Israel constituted treason, Mounir Baatour responded unequivocally: normalization was in Tunisia’s national interest—economically, diplomatically, and morally. He reminded viewers that Tunisia’s real crises are not tied to the Palestinian question, but to poverty, unemployment, and systemic corruption.
Baatour then turned the debate on its head, exposing the hypocrisy of selective outrage in the Arab world. “Why don’t you break ties with Iran,” he asked, “which has occupied three Emirati islands since 1971?” He referenced the islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb—Arab land under Iranian military control. He continued: “Why not boycott Turkey, which occupies the Sanjak of Alexandretta? Or Egypt, which holds Halayeb, or Spain, which retains Ceuta, Melilla, and 21 Moroccan islands?”
This line of questioning was more than rhetorical. It pierced through the veil of ideological obsession with Israel and laid bare a truth many refuse to confront: Iran is an active occupier of Arab land, a manipulator of Arab politics, and a source of sectarian instability across the region. From Iraq and Syria to Lebanon and Yemen, Iran fuels proxy wars, arms militias, and finances groups designated as terrorist organizations by the international community.
It also executes. Since 1979, under Iran’s theocratic regime, thousands have been hanged for alleged acts of homosexuality. Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 79 men were executed for same-sex relations between 2004 and 2020 alone—a number believed to be vastly underestimated due to the opaque nature of Iran’s judicial system. Other organizations place the historical toll in the thousands.
To a man like Baatour—openly gay and an LGBT rights activist—this is not theoretical. It is existential. Supporting normalization with Israel is, for him, not just a political stance. It is a declaration of survival and of solidarity with those who live freely in Tel Aviv, while being condemned to death in Tehran.
Citizenship, Antisemitism, and Performative Rage
In a particularly tense exchange, Baatour exposed the discriminatory logic behind Tunisia’s treatment of its diaspora. “Muslim Tunisians living in France can vote in our elections,” he pointed out, “yet Tunisian Jews residing in Israel are stripped of that right — simply because they are Jews.” The statement cut to the heart of a deep-rooted problem in much of the Arab world: a nationalism that often conflates Jewish identity with betrayal, and frames coexistence with Jews — even fellow citizens — as treason.
When Amroussia objected to Baatour’s refusal to say “Zionist entity” instead of “Israel,” Baatour responded, “It’s called Israel.” This wasn’t mere semantics. It was a rejection of denialism and a call for recognition of reality. Israel is a UN member state, a major global power, and a regional actor whose existence is not up for debate. Denying its name is a form of ideological gaslighting — one that delegitimizes dialogue before it even begins.
When the host asked for Baatour’s reaction to Amroussia’s flag-tearing stunt in parliament, Baatour dismissed it for what it was: empty performance. “He tore a piece of A4 paper,” he said. “Israel was not harmed.” In that moment, he re-centered the conversation on outcomes, not optics. While others act for applause, Baatour argued for policy, impact, and rationality.
He went further. “Why didn’t you tear the American flag?” he asked — a simple but searing question. If tearing the flag of one global power is a moral imperative, why not apply the same logic to others? Especially those with actual influence on Tunisia’s economic future? Again, Baatour laid bare the selectivity of outrage.
The Myth of Resistance
As the debate intensified, the conversation turned toward the sacred cow of Arab populist discourse: the “resistance” — particularly Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. The host pressed Baatour on whether resistance movements hadn’t “won” against Israel. Ammar Amroussia chimed in, parroting the classic claim that these groups had “defeated” Israel and neutralized its nuclear advantage.
Baatour’s reply was razor-sharp: “Where is the resistance? Gaza is under siege. The South of Lebanon hasn’t fired a single bullet since 2006. The Shebaa Farms are still occupied — so why is Hezbollah silent? Because there are arrangements between Hezbollah and Israel.”
These were not rhetorical flourishes. Baatour was cutting through the mythology of resistance — a myth used by Iran and its proxies to justify repression, militarization, and authoritarian control in countries like Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.
Facts Behind the Words:
- Gaza has been effectively blockaded for over 15 years, and while Hamas maintains military capabilities, its governance has produced widespread poverty, repression, and conflict — not liberation.
- Hezbollah, while once claiming to “resist” Israel, has since transformed into an armed state-within-a-state in Lebanon, often turning its weapons inward during Lebanese political crises. Its silence on the continued occupation of the Shebaa Farms undermines its claims of resistance.
- Even Iran’s own regime uses the language of resistance to cloak its domestic repression and regional adventurism — all while striking covert deals with adversaries when convenient.
By pulling back the curtain, Baatour was doing something rare in Arab political discourse: demythologizing. He was naming the cost of this fantasy — not in ideology, but in human lives, stalled economies, and hijacked democratic futures.
He made clear that glorifying “resistance” without accountability is a trap. “The real resistance,” his message implied, “is building functioning economies, defending individual rights, and facing uncomfortable truths — not clinging to illusions of military heroism that mask political paralysis.”
Normalization as Sovereignty, Not Surrender
As the debate reached its climax, the host posed the question bluntly: “Is supporting normalization with Israel a legitimate political position, or is it treason?” For many in the Arab world, the framing itself is a trap — one designed to stigmatize dialogue and equate diplomacy with defeat.
But Baatour refused the binary. “Normalization is not treason,” he answered firmly. “It is in the best interest of Tunisia in terms of economy and international relations.” While others competed for ideological purity, Baatour made the case for national pragmatism and human dignity.
He challenged the very language of his opponents. “You say we are mercenaries,” he replied to Amroussia’s accusation. “We are not fighting anyone. We are not armed. We advocate for peace.” In contrast to the theatrical militarism so often valorized in Arab politics, Baatour placed dialogue over dogma, trade over trauma, and coexistence over conflict.
His vision was both revolutionary and grounded: to treat all nations equally, including Israel, and to judge states not by their ideology, but by their treatment of people — especially minorities.
In this context, Baatour’s stance becomes deeply personal. As an openly gay man, he cannot ignore the existential threat posed by Iran — a regime that has executed thousands for alleged same-sex relations, while simultaneously branding itself a “defender” of Palestine. By contrast, Israel not only decriminalizes homosexuality but protects LGBTQ+ rights under the law, including the right to assemble, marry (through civil equivalents abroad), and seek legal recourse against discrimination.
To support Israel, then, is not to betray Arabness or Tunisianness — it is to assert a different kind of Arab identity: liberal, secular, inclusive, and forward-looking.
Far from being a “fifth column,” Baatour has been a forerunner. His insistence on normalization years before current geopolitical shifts proves not opportunism, but vision. At a time when Iran’s influence destabilizes Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen — and as its military confronts Israel directly — his early warnings have proven prescient.
In a region poisoned by ideological rigidity and proxy wars, Mounir Baatour offers something rare: a politics based on life over martyrdom, liberty over slogans, and dignity over delusion. For Tunisia and the broader Arab world, that vision is not betrayal.
It is salvation.
Summary: A Vision Against Hypocrisy and Repression
Mounir Baatour’s defense of normalization with Israel is more than a political position — it is a principled stand against a culture of selective outrage, ideological performance, and state-sponsored repression. As president of the Parti Libéral Tunisien and of Shams, Tunisia’s leading LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, Baatour speaks from the frontlines of both political dissent and human rights activism.
His critique of Iran is not abstract. Since 1979, the Islamic Republic has positioned itself as the moral compass of the region, while in reality operating as a colonial and sectarian power. The facts bear this out:
Iran’s Arab Colonization & Military Occupation
- Al-Ahwaz (Khuzestan):
- An oil-rich Arab region in southwest Iran, forcibly annexed in 1925.
- The Ahwazi Arab population suffers from systemic discrimination, cultural repression, and economic marginalization.
- Activists calling for autonomy or cultural rights are routinely imprisoned or executed.
- Three Emirati islands occupied since 1971:
- Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb, sovereign territories of the UAE, were seized militarily by Iran just before Emirati independence.
- Iran refuses international arbitration and has militarized the islands, controlling vital maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Zones arabes sous contrôle iranien depuis 1979:
- Iraq: Political and military influence through Shiite militias like Kataib Hezbollah and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq.
- Syria: Military intervention to preserve the Assad regime, with IRGC and Hezbollah presence.
- Lebanon: Control of Hezbollah, a dominant political and military force aligned with Iran.
- Yemen: Support for the Houthi insurgency against the internationally recognized government.
- Bahrain: Accusations of Iranian incitement among the Shiite majority population.
Iran’s Execution of LGBTQ+ People
Most chillingly, Iran has led the world in state-sanctioned violence against sexual minorities:
- Since 1979, more than 4,300 LGBTQ+ individuals have been executed, according to reports compiled by Iranian dissidents, human rights activists, and leaked diplomatic cables (including from WikiLeaks).
- Human Rights Watch (HRW) and other NGOs have confirmed at least 79 executions for same-sex relations between 2004 and 2020 alone — with the actual number believed to be far higher due to opaque judicial procedures.
- The Iranian Penal Code (Article 233–234) explicitly criminalizes same-sex acts with punishments including death by hanging.
As president of Shams, Baatour cannot ignore these facts. They are not distant atrocities — they reflect the fate that awaits people like him in the Islamic Republic.
A Call for Consistency and Liberation
In contrast to Iran’s oppressive system, Israel guarantees legal protections for LGBTQ+ individuals, including anti-discrimination laws and recognition of same-sex partnerships. While critics of Israel raise valid concerns regarding the Palestinian issue, it remains a functioning democracy — flawed, but accountable — where human rights activists, including Arab citizens, can speak freely without fear of death.
Baatour’s vision — grounded in liberty, transparency, and equal dignity — exposes the moral bankruptcy of those who denounce Israel while collaborating with or ignoring the crimes of Iran.
For Tunisia and the Arab world to move forward, it must stop treating normalization as a betrayal and start treating hypocrisy as the true enemy.
