eretz

Thousands of people took part in the Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem on Aug. 2, 2018.

Pride Parade

Under heavy police security, thousands
march in Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem.

JNS.org

A

mid tensions and mass pro-
tests over equal surrogacy
rights for gay couples in Israel,
tens of thousands of people marched
last week in what was billed as the
largest-ever Gay Pride Parade in
Jerusalem.
The march came a week after more
than 60,000 demonstrators in Tel Aviv
protested the Knesset’s passage of a
new surrogacy law that excludes gay
couples as well as single men. That
demonstration capped off a day of
strikes and protests in support of
gay surrogacy and the LGBTQ com-
munity.
The parade, which began at Liberty
Bell Park under heavy police protec-
tion, marks three years since an ultra-
Orthodox zealot, Yishai Schlissel,
stabbed teenage marcher Shira Banki
to death and wounded several others.
Organizers said an estimated
30,000 people joined the march,
which ended at Independence Park
after winding its way down Keren
Hayesod, Hillel and Moshe Ben
Yisrael streets.
Some 2,500 police officers were

deployed to guard the parade, includ-
ing border police and plainclothes
officers. Police restricted entry points
to the march and performed security
checks.
Activists say there was a rise in
anti-LGBT activity ahead of the
parade. Earlier this week, a memorial
to Banki was vandalized. On Tuesday,
a man said he was attacked for walk-
ing around with a gay-pride flag. Last
week, anti-gay graffiti was scrawled
near the spot where Banki was killed.
“In the face of the hatred and fear
that has led to violence and murder,
we refuse to be silent,” the Jerusalem
Open House, which organized the
march, said in a statement. “Despite
these tragedies, we will march on
with pride and demand our equal
rights against all of those who try to
stop and humiliate us.”
Police gave permits to two groups
to protest the march: the ultra-
nationalist Lehava group, which held
a protest near the start of the route;
and the Orthodox group Liba, which
demonstrated against the event at
the entrance to Jerusalem. At least
four counter-demonstrators were
arrested during the parade. •

U.S. Senate Votes
To Lock In Aid To Israel

JNS.org

T

he U.S. Senate passed the
U.S.-Israel Security Assistance
Authorization Act of 2018, a
bipartisan piece of legislation that
authorizes U.S. security assistance to
Israel for 10 years, regardless of which
administration happens to be in power.
The Senate voted in favor of the $38
billion aid package last week, which
was negotiated in 2016. It allows the
United States to increase its assistance
to Israel and encourages increased

weapons stockpiles and U.S.-Israeli
cooperative ventures on anti-drone
technologies, cybersecurity and space.
The act authorizes a joint assess-
ment of the kinds of precision-guided
weaponry Israel needs to defend itself,
allowing the acquisition of such muni-
tions to be fast-tracked.
The act also authorizes the U.S. War
Reserve Stockpile in Israel for an addi-
tional five years and allows the presi-
dent to add precision-guided weapons
to that stockpile for Israel to use in an
armed conflict with Hezbollah. •

jn

August 9 • 2018

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