STORY: People were waving rainbow flags and dancing through the streets in colorful outfits as police officers were deployed to ensure security.

Joining the parade were anti-government protesters who have been demonstrating for more than 22 weeks against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition government.

The community has reported a 400% increase in anti-LGBTQ incidents since Netanyahu's cabinet was installed in December.

Israel’s LGBTQ+ rights are unusual in the deeply conservative Middle East.

Secular Tel Aviv has long billed itself as a gay tourism hub, although in Jerusalem, an hour’s drive away, pious Jews, Muslims, and Christians set a more straight-laced public tone.