By Luke Baker JERUSALEM, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Battle lines are being drawn in Jerusalem again, but this time the stand-off isn't between Israelis and Palestinians but between Orthodox Jews and gays. In a little over a week, Jerusalem is due to host a gay pride festival, an event that has provoked deep-seated anger among the city's Ultra Orthodox community. Recent violent protests against the festival, scheduled for Nov. 10, have already seen three policemen injured and 20 Orthodox Jews arrested for throwing stones and starting fires. In Mea Shearim, the largest Orthodox neighbourhood of Jerusalem, residents could barely conceal their fury at the event on Thursday and said they were determined to disrupt it. "It's disgusting, it just shouldn't happen," said Samuel Pouhsira, 22, dressed in traditional black suit and white shirt. "It's a provocation against God and this community is very angry about it. If I think too much about what gays do it makes me feel dirty. They should be ashamed of themselves." Others were equally outspoken, and said they would not be surprised if the event triggered violence. "I think it will spill over into blood," said Moshe Israel, 35, a father of four who runs a fruit shop in Mea Shearim. "Our rabbis are telling us to demonstrate against it and so we will demonstrate against it. It's a provocation." Anger has also been directed at the Jewish community, with a synagogue in Tel Aviv defaced on Thursday by graffiti saying: "If we don't march in Jerusalem -- you won't walk in Tel Aviv". Police say they don't know who carried out the attack, but haven't ruled out members of the gay community. "MARCH FOR TOLERANCE" Eight days before the event, security is being heightened. Up to 8,000 people are expected to join the parade, while tens of thousands of protesters could stand against them, police say. "We're fully aware of the atmosphere on the streets," said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, who said thousands of police were being drawn from across the country to secure the march. "As far as we're concerned this a large scale operation that we are undertaking very seriously." Hagai El-Ad, an activist with the Jerusalem Open House, the group organising the event, said he hoped it would not be marred by violence, saying it was up to the police to ensure that. The group has organised five pride marches since 2001 without too many problems, although last year an Orthodox man stabbed three people and was jailed for 12 years. But opposition has been much stronger this year, with the festival already postponed once in the summer. Now Israel's Supreme Court has said it must go ahead on free speech grounds. "It's highly cynical that people are talking about the holiness of Jerusalem and at the same time are threatening violence," said El-Ad, referring to the fact that many Orthodox oppose the march taking place in what for many is a holy city. "One of the values reflected by the march is tolerance." Yet in Mea Shearim, there is little sign of that. Posters plastered over the walls of almost every street are encouraging the Orthodox to protest. They are likely to be joined by many Arabs who also strongly oppose homosexuality. "Demonstrate against the evil people who have sin in their souls and plot against the holy city," say the posters. "They are desecrating Jerusalem with their ugliness."
