Report: OK for Jerusalem "gay" parade*

JERUSALEM, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- "Gay" activists in Jerusalem have
petitioned Israel's High Court of Justice to require city officials to
permit them to hold an annual "gay" parade.

The parade -- organized by the "Gay" and Lesbian Center -- is seen by
many as an inappropriate event for a city deemed by millions around the
world as holy, the Jerusalem Post reported.

The center offered city police a choice of six dates on which it would
like to hold the parade, the newspaper said. City officials had vetoed
plans to hold the event the day before Rosh Hashanah.

Noa Sattath, executive director of the center, said he expected the
court will rule that the parade should be permitted to go on.

"It is the duty of police to protect freedom of expression, and if the
police do not wise up on their own, we are certain that the court will
remind police of their obligation to maintain law and order," said Sattath.