Thousands of gay attended the Jerusalem's Gay Pride event at Hebrew University's Givat Ram Stadium on Friday. (File Photo)Photo Gallery >>>

    JERUSALEM, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of gay attended the Jerusalem's Gay Pride event at Hebrew University's Givat Ram Stadium on Friday, local newspaper the Jerusalem Post reported.

    Hundreds of participants arrived in the Givat Ram campus at 11:00 a.m. (0900 GMT) to attend the pride rally and by 3:00 p.m. (1300 GMT) when the rally ended, the crowd was estimated to include some 4,000 attendants.

    One man was arrested after disguising as a participant in the rally and tried to jump up on the stage and yell against the gay community, the report said, adding that no harmful items were found on him and nobody was hurt.

Israeli riot police arrest gay demonstrators after preventing them from marching in downtown Jerusalem Nov. 10, 2006. The World Pride parade was scheduled to be held on Friday but changed to a closed event instead of parade following an agreement between the "Open House" gay organizers and the police due to threat of the ultra orthodox Jewish community and a week of violent riots against it in the orthodox areas of Jerusalem. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

    In addition, Jerusalem Police prevented some 50 gay activists who had gathered at the city's Liberty Bell Park from holding a spontaneous march in the direction of the rally, the post said.

    Israeli Police Inspector Micky Rossenfeld told Xinhua that 3,000 police officers were deployed to secure the Gay Pride rally in the campus of Givat Ram.

    "It is one of the most sensitive events held in this holy city, which is adored by three religions, so security forces are increased since last week," said Rossenfeld.

    "During the fourth gay pride event last year, an Orthodox Jew stabbed three people on the spot and thus was sentenced to imprisonment of 15 years," he added.

    The entire remaining manpower of Israeli operational policemen is deployed across the country to prevent possible terror attacks following the Israeli army's deadly artillery shelling in Beit Hanoun on Wednesday.

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