Last update - 00:00 02/11/2006
Police: Violent protests won't sway decision on gay pride parade
By Jonathan Lis and Yair Ettinger, Haaretz Correspondents and Haaretz Service
The decision on whether to allow a gay pride parade to go ahead in Jerusalem next week will not be affected by the recent clashes in the capital, Jerusalem police commander Ilan Franco said Thursday.
A police officer and a Haaretz photographer were wounded in a confrontation between ultra-Orthodox protesters and police forces in the capital, as demonstrations against the city's upcoming gay pride parade raged for the third consecutive day.
"We are first of all concerned with dispersing the protests, maintaining routine in the city and keeping roads open, and we're not yet concerning ourselves with the decision," Franco said.
The police officer sustained a head injury and the photographer, Tomer Applebaum, was lightly wounded when a stone hit him above the eye.
Franco met with prominent rabbis this week in an effort to reach an understanding that would allow the march to take place.
He showed them the parade route and spelled out the restrictions that the police planned to impose on its organizers. The rabbis, however, flatly rejected the idea of allowing the event to take place.
Parade organizers, for their part, have criticized the police's policy of telling the media on several occasions that their decision on whether to allow the march will depend on the information they receive about plans to disrupt the event.
The organizers say that this message has led anti-parade activists to believe that by threatening violence, they can convince the police to call off the march.
Interior Minister Avi Dichter said the warnings received by police have been reported in the media, and that they have been similar in nature to those received prior to parades held in recent years.
In a related incident, an explosive device with an attached note reading "sodomites out" was found in a security booth at the entrance to the West Bank settlement of Eli. Police believe the bomb was meant as a provocation, and was not intended to be detonated.
Some 1,000 ultra-Orthodox protesters took part in Thursday's demonstration against the parade, which is scheduled for next Friday. At the end of the demonstration, the participants marched Jerusalem's Bar-Ilan Street in an attempt to block traffic. The police deployed officers on horseback to prevent the roads from being blocked.
The crowd threw stones and firecrackers at police officers, who attempted to disperse them by firing a water cannon. At least five protesters were arrested.
Prior to the clashes, Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, head of the ultra-Orthodox legal authority, addressed opponents of the parade.
Wearing a sackcloth to signify mourning, Sternbuch addressed the assembled crowd of several hundred in Yiddish, telling them "complete devotion" should be given to preventing the parade from taking place.
"By fighting with all our strength, we will be rewarded with the coming of the messiah," he said.
Police had placed road blocks around the area of Shabbat Square, where the demonstration took place, before the protest began. Officers also removed public trash receptacles from the area to prevent the demonstrators from setting them on fire, as they have done in recent days.
The organizers of the gay pride march met on Thursday evening with several rabbis at the home of city council member Nir Barkat. The meeting was initiated in order to calm the hostility between the two sides.
Tel Aviv synagogue sprayed with warnings not to cancel parade
A Tel Aviv synagogue was sprayed Wednesday night with a slogan warning against attempts to cancel the parade. The slogan read "if we can't march in Jerusalem, you won't walk around in Tel Aviv."
The Ge'ulot Yisrael synagogue, located near the popular Shenkin Street, also had its windows smashed with rocks.
Tel Aviv city council member and gay community leader Itai Pinkas strongly condemned the vandalism, saying "this is a malicious provocation aimed at smearing the community's name."
"The community's struggle has always promoted values of tolerance, understanding and consideration, and such violent acts have not and will not be used as a means in the just struggle for attaining full civil rights (for gays)," he said.
It is still unclear if the gay pride march will be held, and the police are withholding permits for next Friday's planned Jerusalem event, but the ultra-Orthodox community is bustling with protest activities.
On Wednesday night, protesters congregated in Mea She'arim, and tried to block roads. Three policemen were hurt in clashes with dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters who threw rocks and eggs at passing cars and police.
A taxi driver and a bus driver had to be rescued by police from the mob. Eight of the rioters were detained and questioned.
Later in the night the clashes intensified, and police used water cannons, mounted police and special units to disperse the demonstration.
A more organized protest is expected in the neighborhood Thursday.