Friday riots

Stunt grenades fired in the Al
Aqsa esplanade

Rioting at the Al Aqsa Mosque right now. Youths throwing stones while Israeli Border Police fire stun grenades. Youths dodge the police by seeking cover in the trees near Bab Hutta. Crowds are rushing out from Bab al Asbat toward St. Stephan's Gate to get out but it's jammed with people and cars. Soldiers at St Stephan's Gate are sifting through the crowds for youths hiding among them. Meanwhile in Mosque area, youths play cat and mouse with the police. Inside the Old City streets, the military presence is overwhelming. Roads have also been closed around the Old City.

The locusts are now less of a worry than the several deaths and injuries of arabs these few weeks. A 23 yr old alleged by-stander was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers and died. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinian-23-dies-of-wounds-sustained-in-clashes-with-idf-soldiers.premium-1.507918  An arab woman looking out from her house at clashes below was shot and injured  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/east-jerusalem-woman-wounded-by-israeli-border-police-fire.premium-1.507786  More clashes over the arab hunger strikers in Israeli jails ... news reports say arab violence has shot up these few months. But of course the other side of the story is israeli attacks on arabs in the streets have also risen. Nobody wins in this game. Why can't everybody see that and come to their senses?

My favourite city - Tel Aviv and
its coastline yesterday

The weather continues to be cold despite the sun shining brightly. I  paid a visit to the community in Jaffa yesterday ... haven't seen them for almost half a year. Had been so busy I didn't have time to rest. The community was asking me to go over and rest so I thought I'd stop by to say hi at least, while on my way from from seeing my doc. It was lovely and sunny but the wind was very cold. But nothing compared to Jerusalem which was alot more colder. Last night it dropped to a low of 5 degrees.

My 2 knees have been very weak lately. Moran my physiotherapist taped them up so they won't buckle and I fall over. Still with the flu. Still on Tamiflu. Slight fever. And very tired. Severe asthma every night. It got so bad I nearly blacked out while walking to the Sisters of Ivrea for Mass. Just couldn't get any air into my lungs, became dizzy, had to hold on to the wall otherwise I'd have collapsed in the alley leading to Herod's Gate. No a good place to collapse at 5.45am. Good thing the sea breeze and sun of Jaffa picked me up later in the afternoon.