Hunt for gay club shooter in Israel

JERUSALEM – Hundreds of police officers scoured the streets of Tel Aviv yesterday in a manhunt for a gunman who shot and killed two people and wounded 11 others at a club for gay youth.

The Tel Aviv shooting shocked the Mediterranean city, which prides itself on its live-and-let-live attitude and boasts a thriving gay community, and drew condemnations from the city’s mayor, from Cabinet ministers and from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.’We’ll bring him to justice and exercise the full extent of the law against him,’ Netanyahu said of the killer, speaking at the Israeli Cabinet’s weekly meeting.A masked man entered a club for gay teens in downtown Tel Aviv late on Saturday, pulled out a pistol and shot in all directions, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Israeli media identified the dead as a 26-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl.The man then holstered his pistol and fled the scene on foot into the busy streets of Tel Aviv, Rosenfeld said.Nitzan Horowitz, Israel’s only openly gay lawmaker, called the attack a ‘hate crime.’’This is the worst attack ever against the gay community in Israel,’ he said. ‘This act was a blind attack against innocent youths, and I expect the authorities to exercise all means in apprehending the shooter.’Israel’s gays and lesbians typically enjoy freedoms similar to those of gays in European countries. Gay soldiers serve openly in the military, and openly gay musicians and actors are among the country’s most popular.Tel Aviv holds a festive annual gay parade, rainbow flags are often seen flying from apartment windows and there is a city-funded open house for the community.However, ultra-Orthodox Jewish leaders often incite against gays, especially in conservative Jerusalem, where there have been clashes between religious and gay activists. In 2005, an ultra-Orthodox protester stabbed three marchers at a Jerusalem gay parade.The ultra-Orthodox Shas party, a frequent critic of gays in Israel, issued a statement condemning Saturday’s attack.The attack sparked other swift political reactions. The mayor of Tel Aviv, Ron Huldai, pledged that Tel Aviv would continue to maintain its pluralistic nature, and opposition leader Tzipi Livni expressed shock and sorrow, saying the shooting should ‘awaken society to rid itself of prejudice.’’We must accept and recognise the right of every person to live safely and with respect,’ Livni said.Thousands took to the street in an impromptu march after Saturday night’s attack to mourn for the victims and call for tolerance.The covers of yesterday’s newspapers all featured photos of the bloodstained floors of the youth club and headlines such as ‘Massacre of the Proud Youth’ and ‘Terror Against the Proud Community’. Gay celebrities also penned guest columns. – Nampa-AP