Jerusalem March

An unbelievable day as the annual Jerusalem March got underway this morning till afternoon. 70,000 people marched from Mt Scopus (near the Mt. of Olives) down to downtown Jerusalem (New City of course) and turned down to the Old City Jaffa Gate before dispersing. It's an annual event to fete Sukkot, but due to the riots the past week, security was beefed up to 2000 soldiers! The streets were blocked, traffic held up and while it was a festive walk, one cannot miss the tension in the air. Thousands of soldiers were deployed at every road corner. I had to walk home after work right in the midst of this crowd and my first gut-reaction is run away because large crowds are targets for suicide bombers. But my hurting feet and severe asthma decided I had to take this shortest route otherwise I'd be very very sick. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1254827718382&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull While security chief Barak insist the recent riots is not the beginning of the 3rd Intifada, arabs in the streets are not only calling it THE 3rd Intifada but has even given it a name "the Independence Intifada".

Meanwhile a sheikh has been arrested for inciting the recent riots. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1254756252176&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull and the Rabbi of the Wailing Wall is urging all religoius leaders in the Old City to restore calm and sanity http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1254827720894&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Meantime BBC is catching up with the news of the riots http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8292184.stm

I don't know how long I can take this tension anymore.