“The thin line between homo-social and homo-erotic in army life can be so confusing and torturous for a gay soldier,” explains photographer Kobi Israel. “In my native Israel, every citizen has to serve in the army when they turn 18 … These images were born from my personal experience as a gay soldier back in 1989-1992 and reflect on the unique male bonding and ‘brotherhood’ feelings.”
Israel’s images of Israeli soldiers were taken at the beginning of the millennium and were published in a 2003 photo book by Bruno Gmunder. He says his intention with the series was not to glorify war, but to celebrate the close intimacy he felt with his male comrades.
“Soldiers hug and kiss each other, say ‘I love you brother’ to each other, sleep together — sometimes lean on each others’ chests, sometimes share a tiny mattress, have communal showers where they play ‘boy games’ like throwing water and soap on each other, sometimes share a hot shower,” Israel says. “Here are the men as I knew them, playing, laughing, throwing their arms around one another’s soldiers. Through my art I can fearlessly evoke my fantasies as clearly as my memories.”
Scroll down to see a sampling of Israel’s images, and see more on his website and Facebook page.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Published for one-time use only with permission from Kobi Israel. Photographs may not be saved, copied or republished on any other website.
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PHOTOS: The Secret Homoerotic Lives Of Cuban Men
MarionPaige
Isn’t this just so fucking sweet? Meanwhile,
The people Israel is fighting view the fact that Israel has gay soldiers as proof that Israel can now be defeated. It is one thing for Queens who have never been within an inch of anything masculine to endless pimp “openly gay” in the military but, it is down right absurd for any country to not consider how its army is being perceived by its enemies.
Israel’s enemies are probably the biggest purchasers of photo books on Israel’s gay soldiers
Desert Boy
Are you certain the one “soldier” with the sprawling tattoo on his upper left back is a Jew? As a rule, Jews don’t get tattoos. Judaism forbids tattoos.
NoCagada
@Desert Boy: Can you say ADAM LEVINE? And the catholic church forbids birth control. You won’t find a tattoo on an orthodox Jew but that doesn’t mean much to younger Jews.
NoCagada
@MarionPaige: Honey…were you drunk when you wrote that?
DarkZephyr
@Desert Boy: “Can Jews Have Tattoos? The answer, as is the case with many such questions, is “it depends.” There is no blanket prohibition on tattoos. Such a prohibition would prevent any survivors of Nazi concentration camps — whose arms were branded with a number — from residing in a Jewish cemetery.” Full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-evan-moffic/can-jews-have-tattoos_b_5484367.html
And as NoCagada pointed out, Orthodox Jews are more likely to follow this rule than others, I would say especially Reformed Jews. Perhaps an actual Jewish person could shed more light.
@MarionPaige: You are such a despicable person. You never have anything positive or uplifting to say about anything. You just attack and bitch and whine. You’re disgusting.
sfbeast
Just my opinion, but when I read the headline about photos of Israeli soldiers, I was hoping for better. I love the idea of men being intimate or affectionate without being fully sexual. Not sure why or how, but the photographer didn’t find many very sexy examples.
Cam
@Desert Boy: said…. “Jews don’t get tattoos. Judaism forbids tattoos.”
____________________–
Yeah, just like Catholicism forbids pre-marital sex and divorce, and Baptists aren’t supposed to drink.
You do realize that much of Israel is secular right?
Milk
I was expecting pictures of Israeli soldiers in their natural setting and not pose like a generic magazine spreads. But then that would require countless of days weeks and months to get those kind of images. I suppose this is the fast food version of it.
jenniferbender
I think I just joined ISIS!
MarionPaige
“Terrorist Says Hezbollah Defeated ‘Gay’ Israeli Soldiers
A leader of a major Palestintian terrorist group cited gay Israeli soldiers as a factor that shows Israel can be defeated militarily.
Abu Oudai, chief rocket coordinator for the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the West Bank, hailed Hezbollah’s performance in the war in Lebanon and said in an interview with World Net Daily, “If we do [what Hezbollah accomplished], this Israeli army full of gay soldiers and full of corruption and with old-fashioned war methods can be defeated also in Palestine,” the Israeli website Ynetnews reports.”
Sweet Boy
I suspect those pics were shot before they went to bomb innocent civilians, including children…
SportGuy
@Sweet Boy:
I am sure they could have done both at the same time.
Sumidagawa
Fascism is quite often homoerotic.
Desert Boy
@NoCagada: The opposite of an orthodox Jew isn’t a younger Jew. It’s a reformed Jew.
michael mellor
Gay men lack male bonding skills because they look at other men through the crotch. It’s very similar to the relationship between straight men and women – the crotch gets in the way.
Captain proton
Article fails to mention that when these images leaked online back in 2003-4, Mr. Israel and his lawyer wasted no time in issuing dire threats against anyone who dared repost any of them.
Milk
@michael mellor: Without the crotch there’s no incentive to establish a social network.
Verlaine
Dark haired young men with brown eyes who are circumcised.
Yum.
blackberry finn
@MarionPaige: It worked fine for the Greeks
Paco
Finding something to be homoerotic must be very subjective. I thought it was another underwear ad.
Cam
@MarionPaige:
So your anti-gay screed is basically. Gays shouldn’t be in the military because other countries don’t like gays?
Um yeah, guess what, Hezbollah doesn’t like Israel either. Having gays in their army doesn’t change that.
_____________
@michael mellor: said…..
“Gay men lack male bonding skills because they look at other men through the crotch. It’s very similar to the relationship between straight men and women – the crotch gets in the way.”
_____
No actually only closet cases like you think like that.
iantombower
@MarionPaige:
Marion. Are you for real>
blackberry finn
@Sumidagawa: Not just Fascism, all military culture is homoerotic. The same was true of Japan throughout the Tokugawa shogunates.
blackberry finn
@jenniferbender: Why are you here?
Bryguyf69
“In my native Israel, every citizen has to serve in the army when they turn 18…”
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Not true. Rabbinical students are exempt from military service. That’s created a lot of resentment among secular Jews, and there are even rumors of men entering rabbinical training to avoid military service. Needless to say, the policy is also sexist since most schools don’t accept females.
On an unrelated note, I often cite Israel as an example when debating those against gays in the military. Not only is Israel a favorite of religious conservatives, but their military is among the world’s best. So much for gays affecting military preparedness.
Not that I know anything about gay porn, mind you, but for those who are interested, there is at least one video featuring all Israeli soldiers.
Bryguyf69
@Desert Boy said “As a rule, Jews don’t get tattoos. Judaism forbids tattoos.”
===
Who said that they’re Jewish? These are Israelis, who are not necessarily Jewish. And even if they’re Jewish, they may be secular and don’t follow religous law.
Bryguyf69
@Captain proton: This warning is written at the bottom of the last photo: “Published for one-time use only with permission from Kobi Israel. Photographs may not be saved, copied or republished on any other website.”
BikerPup
That is such a nasty war going on there that I would rather not see young physical men portrayed in any sexual manner what so ever. In fact I am loosing what little desire I ever had to see physically fit military guys baring skin and muscles for the same reasons, war is just ugly and there are no “good guy” sides to it these days.
Billy Budd
Zionist Israelis treat the palestinians just like the nazis treated them. This is certainly NOT sexy.
Bryguyf69
@Billy Budd: Nothing in these photos suggest that they are Zionists. All non-rabbinical Israelis must perform military service regardless of their views on Zionism or Palestine. Many young secular Israelis are also against the apartheid racism inherent in Zionism.
Ummmm Yeah
So why no pictures of them frolicking in their whitie tighties among the dead bodies of the children they killed who were playing on the beach or the ones that were hiding from their bombs in schools?
Bryguyf69
@Ummmm Yeah: I’m not sure why you’re trying to politicize this but if you want to do so, at least learn to read and get your facts straight. The article clearly states, “Israel’s images of Israeli soldiers were taken at the beginning of the millennium and were published in a 2003 photo book by Bruno Gmunder.” Where were these dead bodies of children in “the beginning of the millennium,” before 2003? Can you cite a bombing campaign that killed children during those years?
gareth
Well done Israel. Pimp out your soldiers to get the fags on side.
gareth
@Ummmm Yeah:
i so agree with your comment on the queerty site.
Rusty Alcorta
There’s nothing in that bunch I’d like to copy.
transiteer
@MarionPaige: It’s been quite awhile, since I’ve read someone’s rambling rhetoric exposing how little they know about the subject they choose to whine over. I doubt whether you know much on any subject, but clearly not this one. Anyone – ISIS or you – who thinks gays can’t fight must be too ignorant to have seen the fighting that’s gone on for many years in attaining equal rights under the law. Did you miss that part? Did you miss the fact that Alexander the Great was gay (or not equally bi)? Or Richard the Lionheart? Or Caesar? You’re education is sorely lacking. You should start by learning how to read, and then practice it.
Cam
@Billy Budd: said…
“Zionist Israelis treat the palestinians just like the nazis treated them. This is certainly NOT sexy.”
_______________________
Or we could rephrase it. Palestinians arrest and torture gays because being gay is illegal and Israel allows gays from Palestine sanctuary within it’s boarders.
Sorry but as long as a country has legalized abuse of gays it’s not getting my sympathy in a conflict.
Ummmm Yeah
@Cam: Don’t you dare ever use homosexuality as an excuse to murder children again. You make us all look like shit with your selfishness.
Ummmm Yeah
@Bryguyf69: The Israeli terrorists have been murdering children since before 01/01/2001. Insert what ever pile of dead kids you want in place of the ones on the beach. You can also insert those American sailors this thug nation murdered on purpose or that American girl they ran over with a bulldozer.
Rusty Alcorta
Don’t the Israelis hate homosexuals but like Bachi Bashir (Boy Play)(Boys who dance dressed as girls and have sex with older men) or is that just the Afghanistans? Well who cares? I wouldn’t want to copy any pictures of these guys, hey American soldiers look really hot to me. I love seeing American young men in uniforms. Now they ARE hot!
rcktetr
Still hott.
Atticus
The Gazans are directly responsible for any children and innocent children killed during the struggle. #1. They voted a terrorist organization into power (Hamas). #2. They continually shelled a sovereign country. Imagine Juarez continually firing rockets at El Paso and imagine our response. And I doubt we’d send warning texts, phone calls, and leaflets prior to attacking. #3. Hamas hides weapons in and near schools, mosques, and hospitals. The Hamas’ leadership’s main headquarters is in the basement of the main hospital- all against the Geneva Convention. #4. A majority of the so-called civilian males killed in the conflict were actually members of Hamas a terrorist organization.
Michael1500
@MarionPaige
I can’t believe how outright stupid you are—– if you’re on medication, change it or get off of it. If you’re not on medication, get on it.