Israeli President Endorses Gay Marriage

Israeli President Shimon Peres has endorsed same-sex marriage as the Knesset considers a civil partnership bill.

In an interview with Ynet on Sunday while in Mexico's Guadalajara, Peres said that "even a person who is a homosexual is a human being, and he has rights. We have no power to take away (their) rights." Peres added: "We cannot take away someone's rights because they are different. We cannot take away their right to breathe, right to eat or right to start a family. We must allow everyone to live as is natural to them." Peres' comments came in response to a new bill being promoted by the Justice Ministry called 'Living together' which attempts to regulate some form of a civil partnership between same-sex couples. The government is not scheduled to vote on the bill any time soon, but a memorandum signed by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni in its favor is being circled around.

A separate bill to create civil marriages for gay and straight couples was introduced in October.