Jerusalem for the holy city’s first gay pride parade, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem reported Monday, June 10.
Eye-witnesses said the march also addressed the continuing violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Black balloons were released to commemorate the victims of the uprising and one poster read: "Free condoms, free Palestine".
However Orthodox Jewish groups condemned the march as blasphemy, saying it would drive holiness out of the city. "This is an immense desecration to God," the ICEJ quoted protester Mordechai Ben-Ya’acov as saying.
OTHER OPPOSITION
Passersby who chanced upon the parade argued with another, with most voicing opposition to the event, the ICEJ news service reported.
"Believe me, this country is just going from bad to worse. There are certain norms to a society, and a country that has no norms is committing suicide. What is right for Amsterdam isn’t necessarily right for Jerusalem," a resident reportedly said.
JERUSALEM NOT AMSTERDAM
One organizer told the crowd: "We did not believe the day would come when this could happen in Jerusalem. It wasn’t simple, but there are people here for whom this is their first day out of the closet to get out of the dark and into the light."
Estimates of the number of participants ranged from 2,000 to 4,000, the ICEJ said. Jerusalem was legally obligated to allow the parade but not to fund it. Organizers have defended the rally as a sign of democracy and suggested that the Orthodox segment of society wants to force its values upon all Israeli’s.
