end of another day

The Old City remains tense and soldiers are still stationed at every major crossroad and gate. I can smell burning tires and there's a helicopter flying overhead. I had to go to Bethpage on the Mt of Olives and deliver a box of sweets to the orphanage run by the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul. It's a huge box that needed 2 people to carry, so our handyman Jadallah drove me there and helped me carry it into the convent. The sweets are a gift to the 28 orphans from the Faith Tours group of pilgrims. Along the way we saw burnt garbage and tires in the middle of roads, stones and rocks strewn across to block vehicles.

At lunch, a chinese priest friend from Canada came to visit and he stayed for lunch - he studied at our school 17 yrs ago so the professor know him. After lunch I had to go to the Jewish suburb of Talpiot to do some errands for the dean and superior. Again Jadallah drove me there. It was a nice break as the huge shopping malls have a sense of normality and apparent calm; until you walk out and see soldiers everywhere again. We got some of the things we needed, and we couldn't get some others. Then we drove home. The soldiers at St Stephen's Gate is turning back everyone from entering the Old City, even those who walk, but we could make it through as we have the sign of the Franciscan Custody on our car and I look typically like a foreigner. They didn't even check the inside of our car.

Anyway I'm exhausted and need to rest.

Meanwhile Israel is rejecting a truce and will go ahead to destroy Hamas in Gaza. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/399313/1/.html and more casulaties today in bilateral firing of rockets. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230456524549&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull and Egypt is seen to be in collusion with Israel in this atatck. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230456532029&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull