From Gay.com news, July 5, 2006

Rabbi threatens WorldPride "bloodshed"

Stewart Who, Gay.com U.K.

published Wednesday, July 5, 2006

As relations between Palestinian and Israeli politicians disintegrate, religious officials from Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities united Tuesday to ask authorities to ban WorldPride, set for Aug. 6 in Jerusalem.

More than 50 prominent religious figures invited by right-wing lawmakers visited the Knesset's Interior Committee to campaign against WorldPride. During the fraught meeting, the clergy members urged WorldPride to consider moving the parade to another city or canceling it altogether.

As of early Wednesday, officials had taken no action, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Gay rights groups, including Jerusalem Open House, a sponsor of the event, and the Coalition for Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian, and Transgender Rights described the faction as "dangerous" and "ugly."

"We will have our event, and our rights as human beings will not be trampled," said Sol Lev, an activist promoting the event. "Their speech, what these people are saying, is a hate crime."

Declared a New York rabbi, Yehuda Levin of the Rabbinical Alliance of America: "I promise there's going to be bloodshed -- not just on that day, but for months afterward.

"In America, we are outraged and disgusted over this event. There are millions of people who, with their bodies, souls and money, will stand against this . . . I will be here afterwards to remind you and to say, 'I warned you and you did nothing,' " Levin said.

"If gays will dare approach the Temple Mount during the parade, they will do so over our dead bodies," said Knesset member Ibrahim Sarsur of the United Arab List-Ta'al party.

Only Meretz and one Labor party lawmaker spoke in World Pride's favor, the Post reported, with Meretz's Zehava Gal-On calling Tuesday's religious contingent "a dangerous coalition" and "a danger to democracy."