Gay(iety) taken out of parade in Israel

It was on then off again. Concerns about problems. Perhaps they don’t want to add fuel to the Jihad fire to prove they aren’t completely decadent.

JERUSALEM (AP) - Gay leaders on Thursday canceled a parade in Jerusalem amid security concerns and pressure from fundamentalist religious leaders who called such a public display in the holy city offensive.

The Gay Pride parade scheduled for Friday drew opposition from Jews, Christians and Muslims, while hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews vented their disapproval by clashing with police and burning trash bins in the streets several nights over the past week.

Police had planned to post 9,000 officers to protect marchers, but authorities asked organizers to scale back the gathering amid reprisal threats after errant Israeli artillery shells killed 18 Palestinian civilians in Gaza on Wednesday.

Organizers agreed Thursday to turn the public parade into a rally, held inside a closed stadium.

The parade dispute has become a flashpoint in the battle for gay rights in Israel, drawing conflicting stances from secular society members and influential religious conservatives.

Tags: Conservative