04/23/2007
Bomb Explodes to Protest Jerusalem Gay Pride, Injures One
A medium-sized bomb that went off in Jerusalem on Friday is thought to be the work of ultra-Orthodox Jews angry at ongoing efforts to hold an annual Gay Pride parade in that city.
Noa Sattah, executive director of the Jerusalem Open House, the city's LGBT community center, told Gay City News: "This attack was a direct response to our request for a permit from the police for our June 21 march." He told the Associated Foreign Press: "Morally bankrupt religious bigotry will never deter us from our struggle for freedom of expression and full and equal civil and religious rights. We urge the Jerusalem police to find the perpetrators of this despicable action and bring them to justice. We hope for a full and speedy recovery of the individual who was injured in the attack."
The bomb, which injured a tractor operator, was placed near a security fence in the area of the village of Beit Jimal, and flyers denouncing the gay parade were found nearby.
The bombing is just the latest in a series of ongoing threats from ultra-Orthodox Haredi jews against the gay community. Last November, after several days of rioting by the Haredim, organizers came to terms with Jerusalem officials and agreed to hold its Pride event not as a parade through the city but as a celebration within the confines of the stadium of Hebrew University. The event was one of the most tightly guarded in Israel's history.
In October of last year, the Haredim blamed the war in Lebanon on the fact that Jerusalem's gay community wanted to hold a gay parade. In July, flyers were discovered in an ultra-Orthodox Haredi neighborhood which offered a monetary prize for killing gays. And in 2005, the Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem was marred by a series of protests and a stabbing.
Man hurt by anti-gay bomb in Israel [afp]
Police suspect bomb was warning to gay activists [ynet news]
Posted 3:10 PM EST by Andy Towle in Gay Pride, Israel, Jerusalem, News, Religion | Permalink
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Wow. If there's one group of people in the world who would hopefully know the futility of using bombs to make a point, it's the residents of Jerusalem.
Just goes to show that the lowest common denominator of humanity can be achieved by any race, religion, or other human subcategory.
I wonder what the response will be... will the Israeli authorities pursue this investigation of home-grown terrorism with the same fervor with which it roots out international terrorists? Only time will tell.
Posted by: Brian | Apr 23, 2007 4:01:48 PM
I am not surprised.
All religous fundies wether xtian, muslim, or jew are unevolved neanderthalls chasing after a fairytale written by ignorant old men.
liberal xtians, muslims, and jews are also to blame since their fear and or inability of letting go of the fairytale creates an environment where these nuts can exist and weild power.
Posted by: pacificoceanboy | Apr 23, 2007 4:14:44 PM
I am not surprised.
All religous fundies wether xtian, muslim, or jew are unevolved neanderthalls chasing after a fairytale written by ignorant old men.
liberal xtians, muslims, and jews are also to blame since their fear and or inability of letting go of the fairytale creates an environment where these nuts can exist and weild power.
Posted by: pacificoceanboy | Apr 23, 2007 4:14:46 PM
There seems to be such a vast world of Judaism, with such varied sects. Before this, I knew nothing about the Haredim. Shame on them. There are gays in the Israeli army protecting them from their enemies. I'd like to see how well their primitive b.s. would protect them if Israel were invaded, without the Israeli armed forces.
Posted by: MJ | Apr 23, 2007 4:58:41 PM
This event put an end to my support to Israel. So long as Israelis are willing to use violence and terrorism to fight against peaceful gay and lesbian demonstrators who want nothing more than to participate in their society and their democracy.
Fundamentalist Jews have as much responsibility for the problems in Israel as do fundamentalist Muslims.
Posted by: Jonathon | Apr 23, 2007 5:12:44 PM
Well, we see tolerance has its limits. Evict the Palestinians, promote anti-gay fundamentalisms, bomb one's neighbors, preemptively attack everyone who hates, and have AIPAC send Americans to their deaths in Iraq. Evangelicals had to learn it from someone, and being "The Chosen" seems to be the cause celebre from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- all having their roots in the same scriptures. Abraham, the "Father of Nations," must wonder who his "favored" Child is, Isaac, Ishmael, or Jesus. His "kids" are the cause of more bickering and intolerance. But Abraham did not trust Yahweh to perform as promised, and his infidelity has become our inheritance. Ain't faith great? Ask Moses, Job, and Jesus!
Posted by: The Gay Species | Apr 23, 2007 7:51:32 PM
The gay species you are giving those fairytales way too much credit.
Abraham? a creation of old, flat world thinking, dirty, sheep herding, desert dwelling, wipe their poopy butts with their hands, old old men sitting around a camp fire one night.
These foolish fairytales create our modern nightmares
Posted by: pacificoceanboy | Apr 23, 2007 8:42:22 PM
Jonathon,
The Haredi who have done these bombings no more represent Israel then the right wing Christians here represent America. In fact I would suggest they represent Israel even less then that.
Israel is in many ways a more progressive, liberal place then America including its stances on gay issues. Like us they also have some militaristic right-wingers controlling much of their government because of the support of these ultra-orthodox. But don't condemn a whole country for the actions of some of its right wing crazies. I have a feeling you would not like it if someone suggested the Evangelicals and the Bush regime represented all of America and were a good reason to abandon ones support of us entirely.
Posted by: Adam | Apr 24, 2007 12:09:09 AM
For those who read hebrew, ynet (Yidiot Achronot, Israel's largest newspaper company) has a followup article with statements from senior police officials saying that the bombing is being taken very seriously and they will not allow the bombing to influence the decision on the Parade (the decision being whether to approve the date or postpone it, as happened last year). Granted, this sounds like any standard release from any police department, but I'm slightly inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.
http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3390334,00.html
To fellow Israelis: Happy Independence Day!
Posted by: Aviel | Apr 24, 2007 2:05:20 AM
PACIFICOCEANBOY,
Your contention that religious liberals are responsible for the Fundies of any religion or philosophy makes exactly as much sense as one that argues that people who work against global warming or to stop the war in Iraq are personally responsible for George Bush or American Xtian Fundies.
Posted by: The Golem | Apr 24, 2007 3:28:01 AM
A story on NPR not too long ago reported on the jewish fundamentalist run bus lines which force women to move to the back of the bus. Women who protest are often beaten by their god-loving brethren. These bus lines account for at least half of the lines in Israel. Fundamentalists of any religion all operate in the same way. They are authoritarian minded bullies.
Posted by: Bill | Apr 24, 2007 9:03:28 AM