Jerusalem - 2 August 2018

1. Wide of marchers

2. People marching with rainbow flags

3. Wide of people marching

4. Women carrying rainbow flag with Star of David

5. Various of people marching

6. Israeli security observe march

7. People carrying huge rainbow flag

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Omer Yehoshua, Gay Pride marcher:

"I'm here because I'm an LGBT person that lives in the State of Israel. I want my rights to be equal to those of a straight person who lives in this country, so that in the future I can if I'm with a partner, get married and register as parents, to bring children to the world, that our rights be equal."

9. Various of march

10. Pan from banner showing a picture of Shira Banki - who was stabbed to death at Jerusalem's parade in 2015 reading (Hebrew) "Better to teach good than condemn evil" to flowers laid at her memorial

11. People praying next to her memorial

12. Man carrying banner reading (Arasbic, English. Hebrew) "we love you Jerusalem"

13. Pull out from security to parade

14. Person dancing during parade

15. Anti-gay pride protester carrying banner reading (English) "Don't anger the god of Israel"

16. Pan of protesters against the parade protesting

17. Israeli policemen on horses

18. Pushing between police and protesters

19. Various of police arresting protesters

20. Two protesters carrying banner reading: (English) "99 percent of Jerusalemites reject this provocation"

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Chanoch Obel, Protester against Gay Pride:

"Gay parade are provocateurs: they want to destroy our culture; they want to destroy our society; they want to destroy the nature of family. In Jerusalem, of all places in the world, Jerusalem. Tel Aviv we understand, Jerusalem - horrible."

21. Mid of protest against parade

22. Wide of parade

More than 15,000 people marched in the Gay Pride parade through Jerusalem on Thursday, partying in the shadow of a recently passed surrogacy law that excluded homosexual fathers and outraged the gay community.

Waving rainbow flags emblazed with the Star of David and blaring music, throngs of people marched through the streets of central Jerusalem amid tight police security.

Same-sex couples held hands, others held signs reading "Proud to be equal" and "I want to be a father".

A few dozen people demonstrated against the parade. Some held signs reading "Israel is the holy land not the homo land." Several protesters scuffled with police and officers made four arrests, police said.

The festivities were mixed with anger this year after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to pass legislation supporting surrogacy for gay fathers, but then voted against it, apparently under pressure from ultra-Orthodox Jewish coalition partners.

Some marchers at the parade chanted slogans calling Netanyahu a "homophobe".

Israeli LGBT advocates and their supporters went on strike across the country about two weeks ago in protest of the legislation. The protest generated widespread support and hundreds of employers said they allowed employees to observe the strike without penalty. It also grew into a general call for equality, following other recent controversial legislation that appeared to target Israeli liberalism.

Jerusalem holds a modest annual gay parade, in contrast to festivities in nearby liberal Tel Aviv, which drew more than 250,000 people to its parade this year.

Many of Jerusalem's residents are observant Jews, Muslims or Christians, communities that often frown on homosexuality, although violent attacks on gay people are rare.

A radical ultra-Orthodox Jew stabbed a 16-year-old girl, Shira Banki, to death at Jerusalem's parade in 2015. The attack was widely condemned across Israel's political spectrum and the killer was convicted of murder.

A giant placard with a picture of the murdered girl was positioned on the parade route. Marchers placed flowers at the foot of the picture while some said prayers and others stood in silence.