Israel: Police authorize far-right protest during LGBT march in Jerusalem August 3

Event

Police officials will allow the ultra-nationalist Lehava group to hold a counter-protest in Jerusalem on Thursday, August 3, during the annual LGBT pride parade. Lehava is limited to having 100 people participate in the demonstration and will be only be allowed within several hundred meters of the march, which will take place under a heavy police presence. The police warned against groups attempting to block the parade. The pride march will start at Independence Park and at Liberty Bell Park. Expect increased security measures and localized traffic disruptions. Clashes between marchers and protesters cannot be ruled out.

Context

Lehava is calling for the government to continue to ban gay couples from adopting children in Israel. Under current legislation, LGBT citizens can only adopt children as an individual, not as a couple.

Right-wing supporters have violently attacked people during the annual pride march in the past. During the 2015 march, a right-wing extremist stabbed a teenager to death and wounded five other people before being arrested.

Advice

Individuals in Jerusalem are advised to monitor the situation and avoid all public demonstrations due to the risk of violence.

More generally due to the ongoing terrorist threat, travelers are advised to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and to remain vigilant when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted in an attack (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, etc.). As a reminder, several Western governments advise their citizens against all travel to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and areas near the Lebanese, Syrian, and Egyptian borders.