Israel High Court Refuses To Block Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade

Israel's High Court of Justice on Monday refused to block the gay pride parade scheduled to be held in Jerusalem on Thursday. YNet News reported yesterday that Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski had urged the court to ban the parade, saying: "Past experience shows that the parade greatly offends, deliberately and unnecessarily, the feelings of Jews, Muslims and Christians, who view its sheer existence, and the blatant manner in which it takes place, as a desecration of the holy city and of the values with which they were raised." However the court said that parade participants do not plan on provoking Jerusalem residents in any way. Haaretz, also reporting on the court's decision, said: "protests against the Gay Pride parade will be far less substantial than in previous years, especially because of the religious community's understanding that it is precisely their protest that grants so much publicity to the event and exposes their youth to the gay/lesbian community."