There's something evil in the air ... something unnatural and disturbing. The freaky weather seems to be orchestrating the string of violence that's enveloping the City this last week ... violence which we've never seen during this period of the year. Continuing from the tit-for-tat attacks, yesterday saw another incident which at the moment I cannot remember ... too many to follow up. But added to that, I witnessed a fierce police chase from the tunnel under New Gate to Musrara. Didn't know what it was about but certainly it was serious when 4 police jeeps had to jump lanes. And now to think about it, the day before I witnessed 4 security guys jumping an arab in the park next to New Gate. Handcuffed and arrested for something or other. This morning we learn that the body of a jewish man from Tel Aviv was found bound, gagged and stabbed in the boot of his car that was driven to East Jerusalem. 2 arab men were arrested.
Now this racial conflict is getting serious ... it's turning religious since yesterday news leaked that muslims have removed an old carpet from the cave below the Dome of the Rock - sacred to muslims and jews. A war of words is now full blown because the Crusader period mosaics beneath the carpet might have been destroyed in the process. Israeli antiquities people are indignant ... and muslims are aghast that Israel should dare meddle in internal mosque affairs. Looks like this summer (if summer is ever coming) will be a troubled one.
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Armenian youths march through the
Old City in commemoration of the
massacre |
Yesterday almost every christian in the City observed the 100th anniversary of the genocide of Armenians in the final years of the Ottoman Empire. All churches tolled their bells 100 times at 6.15pm. Prayer services in the Holy Sepulchre and Gethsemani were conducted in memory of the event. Franciscan friars were closely involved in this memorial service because many friars were also killed during this massacre. It's also the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign that ended in disaster ... all in the final years of the Ottoman Empire.
And this weather ... how can one describe it? It should be summer but now it's only 8 degrees, the sky is dark and rain with hail fall suddenly 3 times already. It's all very strange. It's like a huge backdrop to a tragedy on stage.
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