Weekend again

Beautiful colours

It's the weekend and it's unusually quiet the day yesterday. The police and soldiers are less and the tension has been much reduced. Everyone has noticed that the flashpoint for violence has now shifted to Hebron - the traditional site for clashes and uprisings. In fact most of the perpetrators of this month's violence in Tel Aviv and other cities all come from Hebron. The police has decided to prohibit some 2500 hebronites from entering Israel. And now we receive news that the police is also closing off several villages known for producing perpetrators. Not good news. It will only inflame anger and provoke more violence.

Today the violence picked up again with a couple of car-rammings and one stabbing in Nahariya with is near Tel Aviv.

The cold nights and relatively hot days are causing the leaves on trees to change into a kaleidoscope of colours. It feels more autumn than winter. While beautiful on the trees, the leaves cause a lot of mess in the streets. I might collect of these colourful leaves to decorate my table. Perhaps around my Advent wreathe.

Palm Plaza during the day

Yes Advent will begin in 2 days!! Another year has passed. I'll be busy preaching some 5 retreats during this time. It'll be quite tiring. The first one begins this Sunday for the english-speaking sisters of the Judean region. I hope I can find some time to rest. I'll need to go back to hospital for follow-up on Monday and while the course of some medication will end then, other medicines must be taken for another 3 weeks. My stomach is feeling quite sick with this heavy medication.

Sahlab season

Sahlab is back on the menu

The weather continues to be cold ... actually chilly is the word. Lots of people are sick. Tourists are not prepared for this sudden cold. Too bad. I noticed many shops are starting to serve sahlab ... a sure sign that winter is kicking in. I like ti very much but I must order it without the peanuts that tops it. Sahlab is the flour made from an orchid tuber, mixed with milk or water, with drops of rose or orange water or even rose syrup. It's nice for a cold rainy day. I wonder when I'll be well enough to go out and get one.

Much less violence today. Only one near Hebron in the south. Jerusalem continues to be tense with heavy military presence but people are getting used to it and life goes on as usual.

I'm into my 6th day of treatment and the steroids - among them the dreaded Prednisone - is about to finish. My wheezing is over, fluids in the lungs are almost all out though the sinus problem continues to be a bother. No signs of improvement. Nevertheless I've started work. It's tiring as the medication is very strong and makes me tire easily. One of the most tiring is visiting the many groups of tourists/pilgrims after diner time. I have to give them talks. This week alone there are 2000 chinese tourists and not enough chinese guides. That makes my work all the more important to visit them in the night. But that's a lot of work both day and night.

Holy Doors

The temperature has dropped drastically. Last night was as low as 5 degrees. Today is no better ... the wind is bitterly cold. And many many people have fallen sick. Thank goodness I'm getting better!! Doc said I should have my flu shot as soon as possible once I'm off the steroids. I think I'll go for it tomorrow.

Heated debate at Bible Society 

There was less violence today ... one hit-and-run so far in the Territories. But there was a minor disturbance in Jaffa Street ... a small group of ultra-orthodox jews were protesting in front of the Bible Society. They were not happy that the Torah was placed with christian books. The christian workers there came out to speak with them and there was a heated debate, but no scuffles.

Meantime we received news of the opening of the Holy Doors for the Year of Mercy. Each Rite has its own Holy Door, so from Dec. 13th till Dec. 27th, half a dozen catholic cathedrals will have their Holy Doors opened: the Maronites, Greek Catholics, Armenian Catholics, Syrian catholics and of course the Latin Catholics. We latins have 3 basilicas with Holy Doors: St Catherine's in Bethlehem, Basilica of the Agony in Gethsemane and Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. That way catholics from the north and those in the Territories will have a chance to celebrate the opening of the Holy Year since those in the Territories will not be able to come to Jerusalem.

Well if you do come to visit the Holy Land next year, you'll get to walk through the Holy Doors. After all it was here in this land that God's Mercy was fully expressed by sending His Son to die on the Cross for us.

Weekend over

Hitching a ride

So the weekend passed with quite a lot of violence again. After the lull, there have been an average of 4 stabbings or hit-and-runs throughout the country. Jerusalem has had several instances, though not in the Old City. They occur quite far away from the tourist areas. This morning there was the stabbing by 2 arab girls: 14 and 16 yrs old. A security video of the stabbings has gone viral on the Internet. One can see that the girls were waving
scissors and not frantically stabbing anyone before they were shot by security guards. The word in the street is they wanted to be shot, they wanted to die ... why? Street wisdom says they might have been forced into marriages they didn't want and they chose to die instead.  Be that as it may ... it's troubling that youths at that young age have been the main perpetrators of these few months' attacks. It's not normal.

Th weather has been very cold lately. Everyone is out with winter jackets and hoodies. If this keeps up, Christmas will be very cold. I have to keep warm though with my pneumonia and infected sinuses. The medicine makes me tired easily but after 4 days of no work, today I had to get back to the office otherwise the backlog will be too much to catch up.

The PDDM sisters in Jerusalem

Sunday was Christ the King feast but it was also St. Cecilia's feast day. I had the usual Armenian Mass at 9am but since the superior of the PDDM sisters community in charge of the Armenian Catholic Basilica is Cecilia, they had a feast day lunch and invited me over. They were very nice to specially cook food that I could eat, asking beforehand what I was allergic to. PDDM stands for Pious Disciples of the Divine Master ... one of the congregations founded by St. Alberione and forms part of the Pauline family. This Thursday is their feast of Alberione their founder and they have asked me to preside at Mass. And they'll prepare dinner as well!

Tense Friday

Self cooked lunch today

Last night I really slept well. About 5 full hours. Got up twice only to cough up phlegm. The medication is strong and I feel weak and very thirsty all the time. There was one medicine Aerovent that is not available in East Jerusalem (meaning the arab side of town) so I had to walk 1 km yesterday evening to the western side (jewish) to buy it. The evening was really cold ... it dropped to 8 degrees! I walked around the City for an hour and that always clears my lungs. The fluids are drained away, my wheezing stops and I feel much better.

Military presence was building up when I was taking my walk. An hour earlier 2 people were killed at Gush Etzion, 7 km south of Jerusalem. And an hour before that 3 people were killed in Tel Aviv. It was a very violent evening ... after a week's lull in the violence. Tensions are high as today is Friday and thousands of muslims will be entering the Old City to get into the Al Aqsa Mosque. With my recuperation, I should ideally be in bed resting ... but there is always urgent business that I must attend to: first a Polish bishop wanted to come visit the school and I had to wait for him at the entrance to welcome him and his entourage and bring them to the school. Then immediately I had to go to the Bishops' Conference Office to pick up 2 documents.

In the afternoon I decided to cook some food to strengthen my constitution: what rice, steamed minced beef with mui choy; and anchovies with bean-sprouts (kana her and towgay). It was a nice poor man's meal.

Buddy the good boy

Don't know if this afternoon there'll be the Way of the Cross. Anyway I'm too weak to go downstairs again. Will stay in bed and do some reading if I can't sleep ... and if the 2 parrots stop giving me trouble. Both are now very jealous of each other. If I let one out of the cage, the other will be screaming his/her lungs out. The other guys at home are not happy with the noise and sooner or later they'll be asking me to get rid of the birds. I think Miss Bird will have to go as she's the loudest and most destructive. She bites through all my electric and computer wires, destroyed countless books and pooped all over my bed. Any wonder why I get sick?

More tests

Amazing connecting corridor between
2 buildings at St. Joseph's Hospital

Was at the pulmonologist yesterday for more tests. My lungs are working only 64% maximum. And an X-ray showed that my sinus is infected ... my old problem that I had previous to my nose operation. Apparently the infected fluids flow into my lungs, causing the asthma especially at night and also resulting in my pneumonia. Now I'm on lots of medication: back on prednisone which I dislike ... and 7 other tablets. Then I have to use the nebuliser 4 times a day. Some medication must be  taken for one month. I don't think I have the patience.

Entrance to the Emergency Ward

St. Joseph's Hospital, where I had gone for Emergency service and tests, was a rundown building; cracks, cockroaches, dark corridors stacked with abandoned equipment ... it's like entering the Walled City of Kowloon. The saying in Jerusalem is: you go in alive, you come out dead. Now the hospital has got a multi-million dollar renovation. Unbelievable. In structure and setup, it's comparable now to any metropolitan hospital. Clean, bright, quiet, no one smoking indoors. The reception service is also very good now: polite and informative. Finance department was also very prompt and professional. Now it leaves to see if the medical service is on par with world standards. Letting my blood sample coagulate before it got to the lab was not very promising. But X-ray department was prompt. The doc who saw me at Emergency was polite and kept apologising for the pain caused by the injections. Let's hope the hospitals reputation changes for the better.

Emergency Ward again

I have pneumonia ... added to a severe break of asthma. Landed up in Emergency Ward again. The French Hospital has been renovated beyond recognition .... from a rundown medical centre that nobody dared to enter (because you usually come out dead), to a very modern high-tech, bright and clean place comparable with any hospital in a metropolitan city. I got lost in other words. Couldn't find my way to the registry counter, or exit or x-ray dept. 

8th visit to EW

Anyway I could hardly breathe anymore. It became worse when I the right side of my head began to have a throbbing pain and my right arm was numb. Thought it might be a stroke. And I blacked out twice. So I went to Emergency as soon as I felt strong enough to walk out to Damascus Gate which is half a km away. 

When the nurse in charge saw he, he moaned "Oh no ... always coming at the last minute" ... They know me well I guess ... I never go to the hospital unless I absolutely need to ... which could be a week later. Anyway they know what I needed so I got 5 types of medicine injected into me, then a nebuliser. After one hour the doc decided I needed another dosage, this time plus oxygen. And they took blood "from the heart" ... which scared me. It hurt like hell when the needle was poked into the artery. And after 5 long minutes, the sent the phial of blood to the lab. 5 mins later the nurse came back and said "Sorry the blood clotted. We can't use it. We'll need to take another sample". I absolutely refused. It hurts worse than the enormous antihistamine injection which burns.

Anyway I'm supposed to stay in hospital for 3 days. I can't possibly survive that. But I need the rest ... the quiet away from the Old City. 

War

Facebook profiles are all changed with the french flag as a background. I have nothing against that ... but I strongly feel that standing by France at this moment may be the gut-reaction of many, but I feel it's too little too late. You can't bring back the dead. Prevention is definitely better than the cure. Standing-by a victim is NOT enough ... you must STAND AGAINST the perpetrator!!!!  Solidarity with Paris is good ... solidarity against terrorists is better!!!! I wish Facebook profiles would change to become symbols against terrorists/fanatics. We in the Middle East have suffered enough persecutions this decade ... we have grown used to the fact that the world has forgotten us ... consoling the victim is easier than stopping the terrorist.

By the way, newspapers carry articles saying no one has made the same waves as Paris when Beirut was bombed the day before, or the Kenyan university students were slaughtered by Boko Haram also the day before. Why?

Making Waraq Dawali

I'm tired ... physically from countless work, but emotionally from the war within and outside the country. True we're no longer tormented by stabbings and car rammings, but reading the news of violence all around us, and political parties exploiting these tragedies for their own political credit ... it's just too much ... it's nauseating. Everyone has their own stand, their own argument, their own justification for this side or that. It is tiring to have to constantly explain yourself. I feel stuck in the middle - between jewish and arab friends, between rightists and leftists, between seculars and religious. Life is so complicated here.

For a little distraction from this headache ... I made the weekly Sunday walk with Prof. Buscemi around the New City. We came across a hawker who wraps vine leaves with rice, meat and veggies - they're called waraq dawali in arabic or dolmades in greek. It's a rare sight to see it done outside the closed doors of a kitchen. And done by a man instead of a woman! Now that's a revolution! Perhaps that's what we need right now in this worldwide tragedy of terrorism ... a revolution. A revolution within our minds and hearts, to overthrow the present culture of political correctness and trying to please everyone ... the perfect breeding conditions for fanaticism to grow. The bottom line must be drawn, dialogue must end, the war must be fought.

Sabbat

Ultra orthodox jews returning
home from Sabbat prayers

So it's Saturday ... how time flies. As usual I've been caught up with never-ending work. This morning we had the joint Dies Academicus with the Ecole Biblique (Dominican) but I only managed to show my face for the beginning. Had a very important document to translate in short notice so I had to return home immediately to get it done.

On the way home I was struck by the typical Sabbat scene at Damascus Gate ... families of ultra-orthodox jews returning home from the Wailing Wall after morning prayers.

The news on everyone's lips is of course the massacre in Paris. I have nothing to say except "you should have known / I told you so".  I find it amazing that the entire civilised world with the topmost technology can be held hostage by a handful of rustic fanatics. But then again the mongols on horseback managed to conquer half the world's advanced civilisations so ... it can happen again. It is not inevitable though, it's simply the lack of political will and the idiotic of being "politically correct" that has led to the unbridled rise of extremism. Now "politically correct" will be the death of Europe. And I won't be signing your condolence book ... because "you shouldIt used to be so peaceful like this have know / I told you so".

St. Leo the Great

Chinese pilgrims venerating the
relic of the True Cross before
starting the Way of the Cross

There was light rain this morning but the sun came back up and it was quite warm during the day. I was extremely busy with groups. Had to accompany one group through the Way of the Cross. The streets are packed with tourists. You have to wait in line at each station for your turn at prayers.

There were easily 2000 chinese tourists this morning at the Flagellation Chapel. The chinese market is huge and is saving the Israeli economy because groups from european and american countries have all stopped coming.

There was no violence today throughout the country. That is good. After class in the afternoon, I had to go to the Jewish Quarter to buy a printed Torah Scroll. I took the shortcut through the Wailing Wall which saves me 10 minutes of walking. After buying the Scroll, I wanted to go back through the Wailing Wall but security would not let me. No Torah scrolls allowed in the Wailing Wall. What????? I said this is not even a real scroll, just a printed pedagogical tool. Absolutely NO. I had to make a huge detour through the Cardo to get back home. Took me half an hour more.

Cheesecake and cappuccino
at Cafe Cafe

Yesterday was my feast day and part of a Singaporean group when out with me for tea. Actually they wanted to buy books and I had to bring them to the bookshops but next door was Cafe Cafe (name of the cafe chain in Israel). So I was treated to my favourite cheesecake and a cup of cappuccino. It was nice. The feast was of course St. Leo the Great.

The Jewish east of Hanukkah is round the corner and sufgoniot - the jelly filled doughnuts are already on sale in all bakeries. This will be fun because the weather is cold. Nothing like a nice warm sufgoniot with a cup of cappuccino in winter.

Friends in attempted stabbing

The peace in Jerusalem was shattered today by 2 attacks near Damascus Gate ... both within 5 minutes of each other. And what hit me hard was the 2nd attack was against 2 of my good friends A. and B. who are security guards. An arab man is seen in the video raising a knife to attack them from the back but they shot him dead. It took place in front of Maswadi mini market where I usually go to buy Shoko chocolate milk. See http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/WATCH-New-video-of-security-forces-shooting-terrorist-charging-at-them-with-knife-432596

Wet cold morning. View of
the Mt. of Olives from
Via Dolorosa

I heard gunshots as I left the house at about 4.30pm. Other security friends nearby immediately told me about the attack. I was shocked. A. is such a quiet, small guy ... I never imagined him to be so quick in reflexes and fired the first shot. I'm glad he wasn't hurt. But I was really shook up. Those guys risk their lives everyday. I treasure each time I meet them. They're really good buddies.

The skies continue to be overcast and very humid. The rained very heavily last night but daytime was only drizzly. And it's very cold. It seems to reflect the tragic, hopeless situation that we find ourselves these days.

These past 2 days I've been working 18 hours flat. It's exhausting. Each evening I visit 2 or 3 groups of chinese pilgrims in their hostel, giving them talks. This makes me cover some 5 km on foot. This evening I was at Mamilla with one Singapore group; then walked 2km to Ritz hotel to meet another group; then 3 km up in the Mt. of Olives for the 3rd. That was too far and dangerous by foot so I had to hire a car to bring me to and from the St. Vincent de Paul convent where the group is living. It's also good to meet the pilgrims and share the Good News with them. But it's really tiring too. Hope I have energy tomorrow to accompany a group for the Way of the Cross. Same thing for another group on Thursday.

Stromata

Rain at Palm Plaza last night

Yesterday was one of those days when I had so much to do there was no time for personal time. From morning till after 10pm I was rushing from one place to another, meeting people and groups, doing chores etc... I was utterly exhausted. And it was raining most of the time.

We need the rain so we shouldn't complain. But it was also cold. These few nights the temp. dropped to 11 degrees. My heater is out and have been using it for several nights now. In the mornings the rains usually stop for several hours ... and the fog is thick, so thick it enveloped the Mt. of Olives totally yesterday. In the Old City, visibility was reduced to 200 meters.

Extreme fog - Mt. of Olives
is invisible

Stabbings and car ramming continue to occur each day ... but there're out in the Palestinian Territories where Jewish settlements have occupied arab lands. Here in Jerusalem, after 2 weeks of relative peace, the police have relaxed their watch and removed many checkpoints and barriers.

2015 is almost over. Advent is hardly in and shops in the Christian Quarter are already selling christmas decorations. Time flies.

And more rain

Amazing sunset after
the sandstorm

And the rains keep coming ... and I'm not complaining!! It has washed away all the dust and sand from the air. And I can breathe a lot better. But it's getting very cold as well. Tourist groups are getting drenched and shops are making a quick buck by selling umbrellas and jackets ... something to make up for the month of closures due to the violence in the Old City.

Being Friday, military presence was stepped up. Young men continue to be stripped searched in public ... utterly humiliating. I wonder why the UN or any other country has yet to condemn this. The Intelligence Service of Israel has waned that though the violence has lessened, it will likely to re-explode in the coming months: when it gets colder and the arabs have no access to electricity, water, heating ... even food has expensive because the produce from the Palestinian Territories can no longer pass through the checkpoints into Israel.

This afternoon a 72 yr old arab lady was shot dead in her car by Israeli soldiers. They claim she tried to run them down with her car! The arab version is she was simply turning into a gas station when soldiers shot her.  If indeed she was a terrorist, she would be the oldest on record!!! And those young soldiers are nervous and jumpy, so they pull the trigger quickly at anything. Remember they have orders to shoot to kill, and shoot before asking. I'm scared when I walk pass the soldiers. I pull down my hoodie and walk slowly, hands outside pockets ... so they can see clearly I'm an unarmed foreigner. This morning in the heavy rain, I walked pass such a group under Sharon's House. One of the soldiers shouted something. I walked on, thinking it was meant for someone else. Again he shouted. This time I thought it must be me as no one else stopped. I looked at him and shrugged my shoulders to say "What?". Again he shouted at me, but slowly this time: "ni hao". I shouted back in arabic "hi" and walked off.

This morning we had an evaluation of the exhibition: me, the prof and 2 members of our sponsor institute. The consensus was it was a success. Now we have to plan for the next year's activities. Whoever said the library is a boring place?

Rain

The rains came! In fact it flooded Jerusalem in some areas ... the news showed a huge dumpster floating away in the torrent. I was caught in the rain a couple of times today as I had to run from one place to another. I think I caught a cold now.

Sinple dinner cooked by
the MC sisters

It's been a tiring day. 8am setting up the exhibition, opening the library; 10am meeting with architects; 11am meeting with a chinese professor; 12pm lunch with a good friend; 2pm class; 5pm conference, confessions and adoration with the MC sisters. Am so exhausted I had to cancel meeting a pilgrim group at 7pm. And the rain kept coming. The consolation was a warm simple but delicious meal cooked by the MC sisters (Mother Teresa) after the adoration: plain rice with curry veggies. Made my tummy feel good in this cold wet weather.

The exhibition closed today. It was a success ... but it was really tiring. We had lots of visitors: from professors and students, Israeli sand arabs, ambassadors and Consuls, UN personnel, church dignitaries from various denominations ... one of the last visitors requested the exhibition be organised at the Italian embassy in Tel Aviv.  now that is a success.

Sandstorm in Tsahal Square

One very shocking news today was the Supreme Court, after having ruled to demolish an illegal synagogue built by settlers in Palestinian land, backed out of its ruling after settlers vandalised the Supreme Court walls with graffiti. It's surprising how justice can be threatened and stopped by settler threats. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.684119

And the rains must have flooded a crocodile farm near the Jordan River ... because farmers found crocodiles in their fields today!

The sandstorm ended with the rains but it was bad when it lasted. My asthma was really bad: choking and suffocating every minute.

Exhibition

The reception table of the exhibition

All Saints Day and All Souls Day passed and I had hardly anytime to reflect on these feast days. I was in the midst of preparing for a 3 day exhibition on the history of the book as a means of preserving the text. Arranged in chronological order, it starts with the presentation of the Samaritan Torah scroll (replica: the original was stolen 2 decades ago) and the beginnings of the codex.

The Custos (2nd from R) gets a private
tour with Prof. Barbieri (R), and the
superior of St. Saviour Monastery (2nd
from L) and Dr. Bignami (L)

Then there were the types of bindings and covers which developed through the centuries, from basic to elegant to luxurious. Then there were exhibits of special coverings: those made from bronze and iron, others gold-gilded, others reused parchment, others engraved animal skins. I must say it is a very interesting collection.

The exhibition ends with the modern forms of the book: digitalised and electronic. Prof. Gino Roncaglia, an expert in the history of the book, provided these examples. He will give a talk on the history and future of the book tomorrow evening.

At the inaugural speech

The exhibition actually started with some 8 months of preparation. I'm utterly exhausted from the past months of intense work, selection, studies and research, printing of the catalogue; now that the exhibition is opened, I hope it's a success. There was a large crowd for the inauguration and we even had many professors and doctoral students from various Israeli universities who came to visit. In the next days we expect visits from professors and students from Palestinian universities. As we had aimed, books can be a unifying force and we hope the exhibition opens dialogue and mutual understanding between Israeli and Palestinian intellectuals.

And I say this while jewish lynchings of arabs continue to escalate. The govt this afternoon has fixed the penalty for arab stone-throwers to a min of 3 yrs in jail and 15 yrs maximum. But if an Israeli throws stones, this law does not apply.

A normal day

IDF soldier helps aran woman
with olive harvest
(photo from StandWithUs fb)

The weekend passed with some more violence in the terrorists. Today the newspapers counted 75 deaths in all: 22 in Jerusalem, 43 in the Palestinian Territories and 10 in the Green Line  (Palestine - Israel boundary set in 1948). Yet despite the violence there has been good instances of goodwill which never get printed in the press. For example a restaurant in Tel Aviv that offers 50% for any table seated by a jew and an arab. Or the instance when an Israeli IDF soldier helped an arab woman carry her bag of olives during the harvest.

Instead we get drawn by the dreary daily news of killings, illegal expropriation of lands, church burnings, killings, revenge attacks ...
Like this morning we got news again that extreme rigtwingers are being helped by the government take over property of the ancient village of Silwan (Siloam and its famous pool) now populated by arabs. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.683416?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook

The other headlines is the rainstorm we experienced a few days back. The coastal and central plains were hardest hit, with floods and electric outages for 3 days. A dispute with the Union of Electric Workers meant that nothing was repaired and 5000 families had to go without electricity during that time. Thank goodness today the sun is back.

Market day at the Musrara
open market where 3
stabbing attacks took place

My asthma is still killing me even tough the sisters of St. Vincent de Paul got me a nebuliser. I hardly sleep 2 hours a night due to the suffocation. During the day I'm totally exhausted but still I have to work. That's as normal a day for me as it can get. As for other people, they try to push the violence as far as possible from the mind. Markets try to open as usual ... but with the closure of the Territories, fruit and vegetables are not coming in, so whatever's available is very expensive. I couldn't find a shop that sold eggs. There's an egg shortage! And that's a constant reminder to the locals that things are not as normal as they would like.

Cold raining days

Well the rains may have stopped but the skies continue to be dark and damp and the winds are very cold. We've switched back to solar time and so the sun sets at 6pm. Coupled with the massive military presence in the Old City, the evenings become very quiet as everyone prefers to stay at home to keep warm and out of trouble.

The rains however continue to pour in the coastal cities and floods occur in the plains. Unfortunately the union of electric workers went on strike and till today some 5,000 homes remain without electricity. Newspapers are laughing at the PM, saying he can fight terrorists but he can't fight the union. And its not only the terrorists that the PM is unable to fight ... newspapers are also pointing out that extreme rightwing settlers are running the country and its internal policies while the PM provides excuses for their terrorist tactics: remember they burned to death the arab family, burned our churches ... and till today not one of the perpetrators has been caught, or charged.  http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.682565?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook

And dreadful news just broadcasted: the young arab lady killed pointblank by Israeli soldiers in Afula Central Bus Station, was not a terrorist nor intended to attack anyone. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.682928?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook

Soup and salad at HaSalatiah

Anyway the general violence seems to have moved geographically. These few days the attacks all occur near Bethlehem and Hebron. The tombs of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah) in Hebron have always been a flashpoint for violence as both muslims and jews pray at the same spot.

Despite all this, I wanted to go out and eat something (tired of the frozen bread I bough last week). Aviary my friend was not working last week so we went to HaSalatiah to have a salad lunch. It was a massive serving and I had to share it with Aviram. He wanted instead an "orange vegetable soup" which in essence is a thick soup of pumpkins, carrots and sweet potatoes. It was a nice lunch, but the company was better. That took out some of the stress of living in this place.

More rain

Shawarma breakfast

Rain continued to fall today. While electricity has been restored in many parts of the country, still some 60,000 have no electricity. The powerful winds had knocked down electric poles or fallen trees had pulled down the wires. In the Old City, electric outages occur because the wires are underground ... but since there are many cisterns underground, when the water fills up, it touches the electrical wires and short-circuits occur. Till now even the Internet is not working. Dreadful.

The Torch Grill replaces Shualeh

But the dark skies and cold winds make it feel really that winter has finally arrived. This makes eating a warm meal such a great experience. This morning I had a swarm for breakfast at The Torch Grill Restaurant ... fancy name but it's actually renaming of the old Shualeh Restaurant in Salahaddin Street which once served the best shwarma in East Jerusalem. Don't know why the Shualeh closed since it was always crowded and its shwarma was very famous. I had beef roasted on a spit (shwarma) in pitta bread; with a spread of hummus, turkish salad (spice), pickles and amba (Iraqi sour sauce). Tasted really great ... but as usual I had cramps and diarrhea 15 mins after eating. But I still enjoyed it ... something warm on a very cold morning.

Terror attacks continued today ... but mostly in Hebron. Jerusalem is quiet and tourists are flocking back. Let's hope the rains will not dampen their trip.

Rain

Heavy rain today

This morning there was a very strong wind blowing through  the country. In Jerusalem it was like a typhoon. Very very strong and swept the City clean of all the rubbish collecting in the street corners. But along the coast like Tel Aviv it rained very hard so that streets were flooded, trees fell, electricity cut. One person died and another wounded. By afternoon Jerusalem also had rain. It wasn't too heavy but it was constant. All the grime from the streets were washed off. Unfortunately the gutters are not used to so much water, it's clogged up and dirty water is flooding the streets. Nevertheless it's good that it's raining. The forecast is more rain tomorrow too.

Thanks to Gigi's family, Sally, Alice Ko, Sr Frances, Agnes Chiu Lee, Auntie Yvonne, Rose Chiu, Angela, Auntie Chan, Teresa/Roger/Eugene/Shan Shan/Gerard, the pilgrimage group for all the donations and stuff. Received everything including scarf, food, books, medicine etc...

We had another series of attacks and counter attacks throughout the country especially in Gush Etzion near Bethlehem and Hebron area. Jerusalem remained quiet in the midst of heavy military presence. Tensions are less as young arab men are now allowed to enter the Al Aqsa Mosque. Shop keepers along El Wad street are not so happy though. They are being punished for not helping the victims of several stabbings that took place in front of their shops. They are not allowed to open their shops are a certain period of time

2 green ringnecked parakeets
eating fresh dates

Well it's getting very cold by now. Most of the autumn fruit are in their last stages. The dates growing in Palm Plaza (next to Damascus Gate) are heavy and maturing ... incredible sight. But a flock of wild indian ring-necked parakeets are eating them off, leaving bits and pieces scattered all over the plaza. And they make a lot of noise. The flock consists of some 12 - 16 parakeets and they nest in the huge eucalyptus trees in Mamilla park. Miss Bird is an albino version of them. Every morning the flock flies pass my room and make a lot of noise. Miss Bird and Buddy answer back and get very excited. Well I'm afraid I can't let them fly off with the flock because they're too domesticated. They'll die out in the wild, especially now that winter has set in. I think they're happier with me. They get terribly spoilt.

Weekend begins

The panic among jews in Israel over arab attackers has grown out of proportion as mob lynchings are becoming a frequent occurrence each week. And worse ... the victims are often jews mistaken to be arabs. Here's footage of the latest lynching of a jew mistaken to be an arab. Horrifying. Now israeli jews have more to fear from their own kind than from arabs.  http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/WATCH-Struggle-with-man-in-Jerusalem-mistaken-for-terrorist-moments-before-his-death-429787

A group enjoying a break at Cynthia's
Cave restaurant near the 8th Station

The chaos is not denting the tourism trade as I saw myself the huge crowds of tourists packing the Holy Sepulchre church.  However the groups make quick entries and exits into the churches, and seldom visit shops and restaurants ... for fear of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Many shops have since closed as a result.

This weekend Bethlehem is closed off due to the feast of Rachel, wife of Jacob the biblical patriarch. Her tomb is just at the entrance of Bethlehem and thousands of jews are expected to go visit it. The police have therefore closed off the entire area including roads leading into and out of Bethlehem so that only jews can travel there. There is only one road open for tourists and I think it would be jammed with traffic. What a nightmare.

Anyway winter is in. Daylight saving ends this Saturday midnight. Sunrise is now after 5am and the sky is dark by 6pm. And it's chilly in the nights though daytime can still be quite hot. We haven't had torrents of winter rain but we hope it'll come. It's been too dry for too long.

Tourists are swarming in ...

Incredible sunset over
the Old City

Although there have been a couple of stabbing attacks outside of Jerusalem, there's a strange development in the terrorist attacks ... a rise in car hit-and-run incidents. In the past 2 days some 5 incidents have occurred outside of Jerusalem. And they're all lone-wolf attacks. Nevertheless the draconian measures of the govt is having effect, and incidents have been greatly reduced.

The worrying part of this is the rise of panic among the jews and the rise of mob lynchings. And yesterday a jew on board a bus attacked 2 soldiers and tried to steal their weapons. He was shot dead. But the police were clear: he was not a terrorist. If he were a non-jew he would be a terrorist. Double standards??? http://live.jpost.com/Israel-News/Man-tries-to-stab-passengers-on-bus-steal-weapon-428685

Pilgrims venerating the relic of
the Cross

Tourists continue to come ... and churches are packed with them. But they move quickly from one site to another ... or to the guides' advantage, to visit jewish sites instead of christian sites. That's the end of the christian pilgrimage. It's a jewish tour in the name of a christian pilgrimage. Hopefully christians who pay good money to come here are not fooled by this; but being christians, they usually are. Why can't we form intelligent christians who have the courage to denounce and stand up to ruthless manipulation and tricks? Rhetorical question ......

Midweek and all is calm

Jerusalem continues to be calm and trouble free these last 2 days. Military presence is still heavy and spot checks including strip search are still enforced. Outside Jerusalem, things are a lot different. Road blocks and car checks are draconian. Traffic jams snake for up to a km at times. People are late for work, angers flare, frustrations raised. It's in the name of security ... which i can agree ... but it also smells of collective punishment.

Miss Bird begging for a pat

The last few nights I've been suffering badly from asthma ... yesterday I felt I would choke to death. It was that bad. Then I realised it could be linked to gluten. I had some rice for dinner previously. So last night I ate nothing. There was no attack of asthma or phlegm suffocating me. One problem solved ... I hope.

All the security blocks meant that I stay home more often ... and spend more time with Miss Bird and Buddy. Miss Bird has changed a lot ... from a nervous parakeet to a calm secure bird that wants to be patted on the head. Buddy on the other hand, being hand-raised, demands a lot of attention. Being a typical conure parakeet, he likes to snuggle  and sit on my shoulders. Some quality time with the pets.

I'll be busy the next few days guiding a group. Funds are getting low and I need extra work to pay for the new medicines I need. Hope Bethlehem and some other parts are calm enough for pilgrims to visit.

Fatal mistake

Today marks the 1st anniversary of the death of our student Ilie, a young romanian orthodox priest, just ordained and married for only a year. He was on his way to celebrate Sunday Mass when a drunk driver drove into him. It shocked us all ... and still is a bitter and sad memory for all of us. Rest in Peace, Ilie.

It's the season for sufgoniot

And yesterday saw Israel at its worst ... a public lynching of a foreigner mistaken to be a terrorist. The innocent died after a brutal onslaught by members of the public. The real terrorist shot and killed a soldier and wounded many others at the Beersheba Central Bus Station. In the chaos, an Eritrean asylum seeker was running and was mistaken to be an accomplice. Police shot him, and while he laid wounded, another shot him dead while members of the public stomped on him, kicked, smashed his body with chairs while shouting curses. All caught on camera. An innocent man dead. But what is worse ... it reveals the panic of the Israeli public. It no longer thinks, it reacts with animal instincts. It shows the level of utter helplessness by the ordinary person, and the inability of the govt. to contain the situation and assure the public. This crisis has taken a fatal twist and there is no turning back ... Pandora's Box is opened.

As if nature too was crying at all these misdeeds, it started raining today. In fact right now it's a lightening storm.  Lightening flashes every few seconds. In a way it's pleasant. We miss the rain after all these years of drought.

And it's the season for sufgoniot (ponschski) - doughnuts with no holes. Ate a couple at Talpiot the other day with 2 students as we went to shop for some winter clothes on sale. Talpiot is the southern suburb of Jerusalem which has several shopping malls like the rest of the world ... a little sense of normality.

Sunday

Miss Bird busy with
her pen

Saturday saw 5 stabbing attacks in various cities  around the country ... but none in Jerusalem. Security was less stringent but still substantial in and out of the Old City. Towards the south between the arab village of Jebel Mukkaber and the jewish settlement of Armon HaNatziv a separation wall was erected ... adding to the wall further south in Bethlehem. It was the prefect excuse Israel was looking for to lengthen the wall and cut off southern Palestine from northern Palestine. The arabs, by their rash acts of violence, have only helped to tighten the noose round their own necks.

Right now we're getting news of a shooting and stabbing at Beersheba's central bus station. 5 wounded, assailant killed.

Well, my 2 live-in friends are good diversions from the problems outside in the streets: Miss Bird and Buddy. There's a growing rivalry and jealousy between them, both trying to get my attention. But when I give both some TLC, and free time to roam around my room, they're quiet and happy. Being from the parrot family, their very inquisitive and I need to supply both with lots of toys so they're kept busy.

My flock of finches in
Yossi's petshop

All my finches are gone. Brought them to Yossi's shop for sale. 26 birds in the flock including 5 fledglings. It's too bad I get bullied by some authorities and forced to give up the birds ... because it's not even within their competence or authority. But some people are just born nasty and mean and petty.

My diarrhoea and asthma are better today. I might have to change medication as I seem to be getting used to the ones I'm taking - they're not working in other words.

Weekend

Friday passed without incident despite it being the Muslim New Year. The security measures were draconian ... multiple checkpoints every 10 - 15 metres. All arabs below 50 yrs were forbidden to enter the Old City. But there were fierce clashes in Bethlehem and Ramallah and other parts of the Palestinian Territories. Several people died.

Wonton noodle soup
at Mandarin restaurant

Today all the metal barriers were removed around the Old City. Inside the Old City, metal barriers were stacked on the side. Jerusalem was calm but there were attacks in Hebron and now even in Bat Yam just south of Jaffa.

What I was particularly shocked and angered was witnessing the strip-search of 2 arab young men in the middle of the cross roads of Jaffa Street and New Gate where the tram passes. In front of tourists and locals, they were forced to strip down to their underwear by Israeli soldiers. Utter humiliation ... there is a garden beside the crossroads, the soldiers could have asked them to move into that corner ... but instead they were humiliated in public. Any wonder why even the pacifists feel anger and hatred now? More enemies are made now than during the war.

I was suffering from severe and chronic diarrhoea and nausea for the past 2 days. I ate nothing but one banana and that made me very sick. When I felt better I went to Mandarin's to eat a bowl of wonton noodle soup. It felt good in a very sore tummy.

Relative quiet

Metal detector installed at
5th Station yesterday

After a relatively quiet day, the City was rocked by an attempted stabbing at Damascus Gate and a stabbing at Central Bus Station. The 19 yr old arab assailant at Damascus Gate was shot dead immediately but not before a tourist was also shot in the melee. At Central Bus Station, a jewish lady was stabbed before the assailant was shot dead. The govt has ordered the closure of several arab villages around Jerusalem. More road blocks are set up and jews are permitted to carry firearms for protection.

Meantime there was much more violent clashes in the Palestinian Territories. Bethlehem saw one of the worst clashes this week. Tomorrow begins the Muslim New Year ... let's hope the muslims will decide to celebrate instead of demonstrating and rioting.

And ironically, jews have been making revenge attacks on arabs. The ironical part is the jewish assailants mistook the victims to be arabs ... they were actually dark-skinned jews.

However despite the violence, pilgrims continue to come. They're mostly asian groups.

The family of mynahs

Walking to work nowadays is a risk. You never know if you're caught up in a stabbing ... I've had 4 close calls by now. One day my luck will run out. But walking up to work means passing by the Dmascus Gate park which is very quiet because of people's fears to venture out. That means a lot of birds are feeding in the trees and grass which they normally avoid when people are around. Yesterday I saw a family of Indian Mynahs. There were 2 mynahs last year and now they're almost 7. It's a good sign because it means the crow population is reduced ... the crows eat the eggs of indigenous birds thus wiping out many species during the past 10 years. However mynahs are considered a pest and foreign species that can be equally destructive on local species. We'll have to watch how prolific they'll become.

Another violent day

Saturday's calm was broken by a stabbing at Musrara ... in front of the bakery where I bought bread half an hour earlier. It was shocking. I stayed in the office to work as I thought things would be very tense down in Musrara/Damascus gate area where I need to pass in order to get home.

Some colorful autumn fruit to lighten
the tension in our area.

At 4pm I thought it was late enough and walked down to Damascus Gate to get home, only to encounter another stabbing right at Damascus Gate. The police were vicious ... they kept us out of the way from the Gate ... but 500 meters. Jewish youths gathered and began lynching arabs who passed by. I had to spend several hours back in the office till late evening before we were allowed to re-enter the City.

Today 3 more attacks ... the last one just a couple of minutes ago while I'm writing. First was down in St. Stephen's Gate which is 500 meters from my house. Arab assailant shot dead. 2nd stabber was a woman up in Ammunition Hill near the Central Police Station in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. The 3rd is in Pisgat Zeev, a settlement north of Jerusalem. 

The El Al award

The tension in the country is thick. Now everyone is watching everyone else. Anyone who puts his/her hand in the pocket or handbag, everyone else moves quickly away. I don't know how else to ease the mind except watching the colorful fruit in our makeshift kitchen. The autumn colors are amazingly comforting.

And another comforting news: Duns Scotus Pilgrimage Ltd was awarded by  El Al for outstanding performance in 2014. Not bad for a small agency.

Calm today (almost)

Metal detector installed at
entry to El Wad street

** Breaking news: stabbing in Prophets Street in front of Damascus Gate, 2 wounded.

Today the soldiers left Via Dolorosa. The street is empty ... and arabs are out walking about now. Some sense of normality ... but who knows how long this will lasts. Metal detectors have been installed in both Jaffa Gate and Damascus Gate with a couple of soldiers in charge. But other than that, the military presence has been very much toned down. Perhaps this is a new tactic ... to lessen the provocation in the streets by their absence.

Yesterday saw another series of attacks ... and rioting in many cities ranging from Nazareth, Umm el Fahm and other northern areas. In the south, Gaza rose up with great violence ... arab youths marching toward the Israeli division wall. 7 were shot dead and many more wounded. From viral videos on the Internet, it was clear Israeli police had sent in plain clothes infiltrators to join the genuine rioters and then arrest them. The videos show some of these infiltrators shooting captured arab youths. Another video going viral is the shooting of an arab woman wielding a knife at the Afula central bus station at close range.

Autumn leaves

No matter what ... we hope things will calm down. The newspapers are at pains to emphasize that this is NOT an Intifada ... for obvious economic reasons. Tourism will definitely collapse, foreign investors will pull out and the economy will slump lower than it already is. War is not good for anyone.

I'm trying to take my mind away from this stressful situation. The brain automatically switches to defense mode when the stress overloads. So I've been admiring the beautiful color changes in the leaves ... it's autumn and the rusty red hues are dotting the trees and fields and gardens. The nights are now chilly and I think soon I'll have to take out the hot-air fans (heaters). During the day, people are beginning to wear jackets and hoodies.

Friday

Another stabbing yesterday morning in Jerusalem ... this time near the Police Head Quarters. http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Jerusalem-terror-attack-Palestinian-stabs-Israeli-man-who-suffers-light-wounds-421274 Then followed by a whole series of attacks ... from Tel Aviv to Kiryat Arba to Afula. All unco-ordinated and perpetrated by lone wolves. However Jerusalem was quiet. Nazareth saw an explosion of violent demonstrations as well.

Surprisingly Jaffa saw 2 days of riots as well. Usually its a city that does not bother much with the problems of Jerusalem. This time it sounds serious. But as was acutely noted, the problem isn't about Al Aqsa and the religious struggle in Jerusalem; it's the high cost of living, the rising prices in housing in Jaffa that's igniting these riots ... the Al Aqsa question served as a catalyst.  http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Morning-after-violent-riots-Jaffa-residents-take-stock-421227

Yesterday morning the PM entered the Old City to visit the families of Sharon's House. The streets were blockaded again for an hour. I was just leaving for work but had to stand by our doorway till his motorcade entered and left. To allay further tensions in the Al Aqsa compound, the PM has ordered all ministers barred from entering the compound.

HK pilgrims from the Duns Scotus
Pilgrimage group venerating the
relic of the Holy Cross before begin-
ning the Way of the Cross

The streets are not totally empty though. Pilgrim groups continue to come, though much lesser in number. Notably the groups are all asian: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnamese, Hong Kong and China. Police stand by the Via Dolorosa to protect the tourists, and if the guides are on their toes, the groups get to visit all the Holy Places in peace and security. The last thing the govt. wants is tourists getting hurt.

Today revenge attacks start: in Dimona south of the country, a jew stabbed 4 arabs, while in Netanya 3 arabs were attacked. The arab attacker in Afula was lynched by an angry jewish mob and had to be protected by police. The vicious cycle of violence gains momentum.

Day of Terror

1st rain of the season

At 11am yesterday morning another stabbing occurred within metres of the killing that took place on Saturday last. This time an arab woman stabbed a jewish man who shot her. This took place at the 5th Station of the Cross. The City was again locked down for several hours. I was stuck exactly at the 5th Station on my way back from work at 11.30am. Then a series of other attacks followed throughout the day ... in Kiryat Gat in the south, Petah Tikva in Central Israel, then Maale Adumim north of Jerusalem and within Jerusalem itself. It was practically the most violent day since the last Intifada 15 years ago. To those who still think there is not an uprising, they should think again. The govt. appears to have lost control of the situation, jews are growing unhappy with the inability of the govt to cap the violence. Arabs say they have nothing to lose because their situation is getting worse under oppression and occupation. Most of these attackers are university students, intelligent, young ... but see no hope in their future. Getting a degree does not help them in starting a family, earning an income, living in a decent house, eating 3 meals, It's this sense of hopelessness that's spurring the violence. The constant remark I hear is "We have nothing to lose. We're already living in hell."

Thanks for the goodies

Yesterday morning we woke up to a chilly sunrise with dark grey skies. It was drizzling for a couple of hours by then and it continued to drizzle all morning. Very cool and it definitely gave a sense of winter. Everyone wore jackets and hoodies. They could feel the cold ... not just physical but perhaps also from the tension rising in the City.

Thanks for your kind gifts: Timtams, mooncakes, dried durians, jumpers, soup packs. rosary etc. ... Received everything in good state. Appreciate your kindness.Winter has started and a little comfort food goes a long way to make the dark cold afternoons livable.