An explosive situation: Israel’s “other” conflict

June 21, 2007 - 1:19 PM by Avi

While everyone else is talking about the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, Hamas vs. Fatah, in Israel we have another explosive conflict looming. Not from others, but from ourselves.

This evening, gays and lesbians from around the country – religious and secular — will come to Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, for a gay pride parade. Organized by the Jerusalem Open House, an organization that helps Jerusalem’s diverse GLBT community, this annual event has been repeatedly threatened by (what I hope is) a minority of ultra-Orthodox and far-right extremists.

While tamer than past years as some members of the ultra-Orthodox community have courageously spoken out against the violent protests that have occurred in the past, the situation is explosive.

Taking the bus this morning and last night, I saw smoldering dumpsters in the haredi neighborhoods that we passed through and, according to the media, fake ‘dummy’ explosive were found with threats for real explosives on the day of the parade and the newspaper Israeli reported that 12 haredim in B’nai Brak [near Tel Aviv], including several kids, were throwing rocks at cars on the highway. A real threat – two years ago, a protester stabbed a parade participant.

Others, such as (former?) Kahanist activists Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Marzel, tried to march through the city dragging farm animals with them, but were denied permission by the authorities, and are now trying to stop the protest through a court protest that they didn’t receive permission from the fire department. Somehow, I doubt they are really concerned about the potential for fires.

All around the city – and with hundreds right outside my window, near the start of the parade route – over 5,000 police officers and soldiers are trying to prevent terrorist attacks and protect the parade participants.

With the hatred and threats of violence from certain segments of Israel’s society, I’m reminded that we are approaching the three weeks and Tisha b’Av, commemorating the destruction of Jerusalem, which rabbinic commentators attribute to Sinat Hinam, or baseless hatred between different groups within society. When will we ever learn? Yet — lest people get the wrong idea — many members of Jerusalem’s liberal religious community and many observant GLBT Jews will also be proudly marching.

I just hope I can get home safely, as I live in the midst of the parade route. Although, who knows? It’s a good day for a parade.

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