Gay travel agency founder targeted by intense “antisemitic smear campaign.”
By World Israel News Staff
An Israeli expat and businessman based in Barcelona has become the target of an “antisemitic smear campaign,” with posters including his image and text claiming he is complicit in the “genocide” of Gazans plastered throughout the Spanish city.
Nadav Peretz, 40, founded Outstanding Travel, a tour agency specifically focused on the gay community and promoting Israel as a safe vacation destination for gay travelers.
Posters bearing an image of Peretz superimposed over rubble following IAF airstrikes in the Gaza Strip have appeared in multiple locations throughout Barcelona.
The posters include text stating that Peretz is an “accomplice of the Palestinian genocide,” along with the claim that he is “pinkwashing” – using Israel’s status as the only safe country in the Middle East for gays – in order to distract from alleged Israeli human rights violations.
“The posters are literally all over the city. It’s insane,” Peretz told Hebrew-language news outlet Mako.
“I don’t know any other Israeli business [in Barcelona] that was targeted by an antisemitic smear campaign this intense,” he continued. “It’s unusual by any standard.”
Peretz noted that the posters contained no information regarding the group behind them, and no one has yet taken responsibility publicly for their creation.
“This is probably [the work of] radical leftists who want to hurt Israel economically and stop people from visiting,” he said.
Peretz explained that Outstanding Travel is the first result on Google when one searches for gay travel to Israel, which is likely the reason why his business had landed in anti-Israel activists’ crosshairs.
He stressed that the smear campaign would “not deter” him in any way from continuing to organize trips to the Jewish State.
“I am very proud to represent Israel, I’m not ashamed of it and I will not be ashamed. On the contrary, it gives me more strength to show how amazing Israel is, and that it is the only country in the Middle East where gays can live their lives freely.”