Throughout the Jewish world strident protests are being seen
and heard against an abominable parade scheduled to take
place in Jerusalem on 5 Tammuz, and a last-minute request is
being presented, asking the police and other officials to
cancel the offensive event, which threatens to undermine the
sanctity of the holy city of Jerusalem.
Thousands of Jerusalem residents gathered Sunday night for a
demonstration along Rechov Bar Ilan, with calls to prevent
the vile event from taking place.
Jerusalem Mayor Rabbi Uri Lupoliansky convened a special
meeting of the city's executive board to discuss ways to stop
the parade from going forward as scheduled, despite a High
Court decision last year that the municipality is not
authorized to interfere.
At the beginning of the meeting the Mayor gave an overview of
the ramifications such an event would have. Later council
members issued an urgent call to Knesset members demanding
they pass a law to cancel the High Court ruling. "How can it
be," demanded one council member, "that an absurd situation
has come about in which public officials democratically
elected to serve on the City Council are unable to act to
uphold interests so vital to the city and its residents?"
Council members unanimously called on Israel Police, which
has the final say on the matter, to cancel the plans in order
to avoid unnecessary friction. The council's decision was
joined by two opposition members who said, "Jerusalem
residents are still licking their wounds from the attempt to
hold the abominable event last year."
As part of efforts to prevent the event from taking place,
Rabbi Lupoliansky met last week with Jerusalem District
Police Commander Commissioner Ilan Franco as well as Deputy
Commissioner Aharon Franco, who is scheduled to replace him
next month. During the meeting the Mayor described the
atmosphere prevailing in the chareidi community and the grave
consequences for the sanctity of the city and for its
residents. "The High Court had its say last time, too," said
Rabbi Lupoliansky, "but then, too, the plan was prevented.
Lessons should be learned from the previous times and an
announcement should be made regarding the cancellation of
this abominable and offensive event with sufficient notice to
prevent unnecessary agitation."
The Mayor worked to enlist broad support among Muslim and
Christian segments of the population in order to bring
international pressure against the event. During a meeting on
the matter with the Vatican's ambassador to Israel, Monsignor
Antonio Franco, the Ambassador said he was very disturbed
over the plan to hold the event and church officials in
Jerusalem instructed him to use all means at his disposal to
bring about the cancellation of the event. The Ambassador
even said there is a consensus among different denominations,
including those that are not subject to the dictates of the
Vatican. Muslim leaders in Jerusalem also told the Mayor they
"see the Jews' intentions to hold the event in the Holy City
under Israeli sovereignty as a malignant plan that should be
thwarted any way possible."
