After the international storm he had caused (See: Homosexual Luxembourg PM Boycotts Israeli Event over Peretz’s Conversion Therapy Statement), Education Minister Rafi Peretz (Habayit Hayehudi) made it clear in a letter he sent on Tuesday to school principals in Tel Aviv that he is strongly opposed to conversion treatments and has never referred his students to such treatments, Kan 11 News reported.
Minister Peretz wrote to the school principals in Tel Aviv (possibly because Israel’s first Hebrew City is estimated to be 25% homosexual): “I know that conversion treatments are wrong and severe, this is my unequivocal position. I understand that this is an invasive treatment that is not compatible with the human psyche, causes patients more suffering than relief, and even causes patient suicide that could be prevented.”
“Nevertheless, it is the right of individuals with a homosexual tendency to seek an attentive ear and help with professionals, in a respectful and loving way, and that is what I meant in the interview.”
People in Peretz’s circle suggested that after the storm that erupted following his remarks, the new leader of Habayit Hayehudi decided to dig deeper and understood what these treatments entail. According to them, when asked in the television interview Saturday night whether conversion treatments are acceptable, Peretz talked solely about psychological counseling or referral to social workers, and not to other things to which he was exposed only this week.