Court on parade: We won't submit to threat of violence

The High Court of Justice will rule Thursday regarding whether the Jerusalem gay pride parade will go on as planned, but already Wednesday night the court hinted that petitions against the rally would be rejected.

Justice Ayala Procaccia noted that warnings the parade would spark violence must by all means be dropped: “The police won’t surrender, the court won’t surrender, and threats of violence won’t induce the decision,” she declared. 

Supreme Court Justice Dorit Beinish added: “Don’t call for violence; don’t fan the flames.”

Security alerts

Owing to the heightened security alert nationwide, which was declared following the events in Beit Hanoun Wednesday, the authorities are considered delaying the controversial parade.

The security establishment has 15 specific terror warnings, and already on Wednesday police were on high alert. On Friday police will raise alert to emergency levels nationwide due to the Jerusalem rally. Police will have to deploy numerous forces across the country and therefore may appeal to the Attorney General to reconsider delaying the parade to a later date. 

In the meantime, opponents of the parade have not let up their protest.

Protest going strong 

Some 200 ultra-Orthodox rioted Wednesday night in Sabbath Square in Jerusalem, setting fire to trash cans and blocking traffic. Police blocked off the area.

Rabbi Simha haCohen Kook, the chief rabbi of Rehovot, attempted Wednesday to convince judges to bar the parade. Rabbi Kook appealed to their sensitivities, and even burst into tears.

“How will we not be ashamed of ourselves?” the rabbi pleaded. “I am not speaking in my own name, or the names of my fathers and grandfathers, I am speaking in the name of all humanity – what Torah will come out of Zion?”