FLOTILLA FALLOUT: Madrid Pride Cancels Israeli Parade Float

Madrid Pride has announced that they are canceling the appearance of an Israeli group in their parade over heightened security concerns since the Gaza flotilla raid.

The Israeli delegation, made up of members of the LGBT association and the Foreign Ministry, was scheduled to run an Israeli "bus" in the parade, for the first time since its establishment. But the delegation has recently received hints from Spain that their arrival may cause anger among local pro-Palestinian groups, which may require excess security and, more importantly, cause a lot of embarrassment. The organizers' fears peaked with the emergence of anti-Israel protests following the IDF raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, and on Monday they cited lack of security for the cancellation. Sources close to the affair say the decision was also affected by a number of anti-Israeli groups.Community reps expressed their deep disappointment by Madrid's decision. Chairman of the LGBT Union in Israel, Mike Hamel told Ynet, "We regret the fact that the pride organizations in Madrid have decided to focus on issues that have nothing to do with the community. The Union was invited as a non-political organization. This is a missed opportunity for dialogue."

The Israel Foreign Ministry called the cancellation "an ugly scandal that turns the pride parade into a shame parade."