Crumbs in the Sea

Medical teams, soldiers and lots of
arab youths gather outside Damascus
Gate as it was closed till 2pm

Today is another tense Friday. There was no incident in the Mosque nor anywhere within the Old City ... mainly because the entire Old City from East Jerusalem side was closed. Massive military presence within and without the City. Only men over 40 were allowed to enter the Old City to pray in the Mosque. Even tourists had to show their passports in order to enter. Never seen anything like it since the Intifada. I was stuck outside Damascus Gate for over an hour ... before I and other tourists could enter with all those arab youths prohibited to enter until that time. It was unbelievable. Extreme security today.

Now there's also religious extremism at its best - the water supply from the Sea of Galilee will be cut off during Passover because ultra-orthodox Jews fear that that “if a crumb fell into the Kinneret [Sea of Galilee], whoever used that water would have failed [to avoid] leavening on Passover.” Imagine most parts of the country paralysed for 8 days without water because a minority believe it may contain a piece of bread crumb dropped by some tourist 120 kms away and that would render the Passover impure because leaven is not allowed during the feast. Laughable to you ... but very worrisome to us because it is another example of the power this minority holds over the govt. With its extreme religious views, it steers and commands the govt and the rest of the country that do not share its views. http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/fears-of-leavened-water-to-pause-pumping-from-the-kinneret-this-passover.premium-1.509508  Makes the recent elections, coalition talks of a new govt, Israel as the only democracy in the region ....... all a huge joke.