A twice-delayed gay pride march in Jerusalem will take place on November 10 after agreement for a date was reached between Israeli police and human rights groups, officials said. World Pride 2006, a festival for gay, lesbian, transsexual and transgendered people, was initially scheduled to take place in the Holy City on August 6-12, with the gay pride march billed as a highlight.
The event, which had angered the city's Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders alike, was cancelled due to Israel's war in Lebanon.
Police again refused to hold the march in September citing security fears during the Jewish month of holidays and the Muslim month of Ramadan, due to begin this weekend.
But following their appeal to the Supreme Court by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and the Open House movement, police agreed on Monday to hold the march in November, ACRI spokesman Yoav Loeff told AFP.
The last World Pride event took place in Rome in 2000 despite fierce opposition from the Vatican, and attracted about half a million participants. Organizers had expected tens of thousands of revellers for the Jerusalem event.
Jewish and Arab MPs in Jerusalem joined forces in August to protest against the gay rally, which they feared would tarnish the reputation of the ancient city.
The world gay pride event was initially scheduled for last year in Jerusalem but was postponed to 2006 because of the Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip.
During a local gay pride festival in Jerusalem two years ago, an ultra-Orthodox Jew stabbed one of the participants, although similar parades in Tel Aviv have passed off each year without incident.
