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.