Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a special appearance at the Israeli Knesset on Tuesday to take part in the legislative body’s first LGBT Rights Day.

Addressing the Knesset plenum, Netanyahu said, “I know that there were important and lengthy discussions today, and I came here to say one sentence to the members of the LGBT community: ‘Every human being was created in the image of God.’ This is an idea brought by our people to mankind thousands of years ago and it is the principle that must guide our national lives today.”

Also addressing the plenum, Member of Knesset Amir Ohana, the Likud party’s first openly gay lawmaker, said, “In this country, 10 per cent of the population feel discriminated against by law. They cannot get married in their country, bring children into the world in their country [by surrogacy], or be their partner’s heir if he or she dies. This is not because they are hostile to the state, do not serve in the army or do not pay taxes. Rather, it is because they are members of the LGBT community.”

Israel is known as the most gay-friendly country in the Middle East region. In particular, Tel Aviv has been lauded as one of the world’s gay-friendliest cities.