The Los Angeles Times reported that Consul General Jacob Dayan said the ceremony was only the second time an Israeli consulate in the United States had flown its flag openly.

One reason offices did not fly the Israeli flag, other than at the consulate in New York, was out of fear it could make consulates targets for violence.

"This is an answer I cannot accept," Dayan said. "I've been in much more dangerous places than Los Angeles, and I've seen the Israeli flag raised. It doesn't help to hide."

The Israeli Consulate opened in 1973, the newspaper said.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was among the thousands gathered for the flag-raising ceremony.

"As we mark 60 years of Israeli independence, as we paint Wilshire Boulevard blue and white, we must reaffirm in one voice our support for the Jewish state," Villaraigosa said.