Caitlyn Jenner’s Israel Pride Parade Visit Disrupted by Iran War Breakout

A visit by former Olympian and transgender activist Caitlyn Jenner to Israel has been disrupted by the breakout of a war with Iran.

“Yesterday in Jerusalem. My heart is with Israel now and forever. Evil shall not prevail!” Jenner said in an Instagram post on Friday, sharing images of the Israel and U.S. flags. The social media message included a photo of Jenner at the historic Western Wall in Jerusalem, with her head bowed.

As she expressed her support for Israel, Jenner’s participation as guest of honor in a June 13 Pride Parade in Tel Aviv was also pre-empted by Israeli’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites and other military targets. That forced the cancellation of the Tel Aviv Pride Parade over fears for possible retaliation by Iran.

Jenner will also likely face challenges leaving Israel due to the shutdown of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport and suspension of flights to and from Israel. After Jenner’s initial arrival in Israel on Wednesday, she addressed a press conference arranged by the Pride Parade organizers.

Jenner recalled her first visit to Israel five years ago, which in part prompted her return this week. “I met the nicest, friendliest people, I think, in any country I’ve ever been to in my life. Everybody had a smile on their face. Everybody was having a good time,” she remembered.

Jenner said many Americans are surprised to learn the second-largest pride parade worldwide is in Tel Aviv. “Every response is exactly the same. They go, what, Tel Aviv? Are you kidding me? And I go, no, Tel Aviv. But the Israeli people are very open-minded. They’re friendly, you know. They’re great for the LGBTQ community and nobody knows it,” she told the press conference.

“To be honest with you, I think you guys have a marketing problem, because maybe I can come out and help market this a little bit,” Jenner added. The former Olympian also recalled her father, William Jenner, fighting in the U.S. Army during the Second World War in Europe, which included his unit helping liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp

“One of the reasons I support Israel is that Israel and the Jewish tradition are important. When I was 13, my father fought against the Nazis. He had pictures from the war, and it affected him. As a young person, I looked at those pictures and couldn’t believe humanity was capable of such things. It opened my eyes for the first time, and since then, I have been on the side of the Jewish people. Now I have the opportunity to come here and show my support,” Jenner said.