Fighting for the the Holy Land.

It's sinful enough that local gays and lesbians march in an annual gay pride parade through the streets of the Holy Land. But making it into an international event could bring divine retribution, says a new coalition of evangelical Christians and Jewish rabbis in the United States, who held a press conference in Jerusalem on March 16 to announce a campaign to stop WorldPride 2005 from being held there this August. "I haven't come because I have hate for the homosexuals; I've come because I have love for the Jews," said San Diego pastor Leo Giovinetti.

New York rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, cochair of the 11-day WorldPride event, told The Advocate she is still expecting a big turnout. "We don't underestimate their ability to cast us as the devil," she said of the coalition. "But we are confident they won't succeed in stopping the event."