(Tel Aviv, Israel) Thousands of people lined the streets of Tel Aviv Friday for the city's annual LGBT Pride parade. Marchers made their way from Rabin Square to the boardwalk at Gordon Beach.
Drag queens and men in leather danced to the beat of blaring music. Activist groups carried signs calling for increased gay rights and many marchers held small gay rainbow flags.
But hanging over the parade was the specter that this might be the last gay pride march ever held in the Jewish state.
On Wednesday Israel's Parliament, the Knesset, gave approval in principal Wednesday to two bills that would bar LGBT pride parades throughout the country.
One bill would would amend laws governing Jerusalem to permit that city from banning any parade or rally the council believed would disturb public order or offend religious sensitivities.
The other would ban all gay marches throughout Israel.
Members of the Knesset voted two-to-one to advance the two bills. They now must go to committee and then receive a final vote in the full Knesset.
While the more secular Tel Aviv has had few incidents at gay pride events, religious extremists in Jerusalem have a long history of fighting any LGBT presence.
Jerusalem Police last Sunday gave their final approval to gay pride celebrations, planned for June 21, but also warned that it might not include a parade. (story)
The haredi, an ultra-Orthodox sect that staged a week of riots last year against gay pride celebrations in Jerusalem has warned that if a parade is permitted this year it will again take to the streets.
Last year's pride march was cancelled following a week of rioting in Jerusalem by the haredi.
Thousands of sect members took to the streets for a week, setting fire to garbage cans and injuring more than a dozen people.
Instead of holding a march Open House held a pride concert and celebration at Hebrew University where anyone entering the grounds was checked by police. There were no incidents.
But the march preceding year was marred by violence. More than a than a dozen protestors were arrested and three people were stabbed.
Almost 1,000 protestors lined the parade route. Bottles of urine and bags containing feces were hurled at marchers.
Shortly after the parade began Shai Schlissel, a haredi member, rushed into the marchers on Ben Yehuda Street stabbing a man and a woman.
Others in the parade attempted to subdue him. The third victim was a marcher who went to the aid of the other two victims. Schlissel is in prison for the attack.
*365Gay.com, Newscentre Staff
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