Organizers of a gay pride parade to be held in Jerusalem today canceled it because of security concerns and pressure from fundamentalist religious leaders. The authorities asked the organizers to scale back the gathering amid reprisal threats after errant Israeli artillery shells killed 18 Palestinian civilians in Gaza on Wednesday. The organizers agreed to turn the public parade into a rally, held inside a closed stadium. The plan for the parade drew opposition from Jews, Christians and Muslims, while hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews vented their disapproval by clashing with the police and burning trash bins in the streets for several nights this week.
