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.