Sigh ***

As Israel inches towards its most ever extreme rightwing govt. (quoting newspapers, world leaders and Israel observers), more bad news flooded in today.

Firstly news abound of how plain clothes Border Police beat up an arab shop-worker in Tel Aviv in broad daylight and in full view of Israelis. Witnesses say it was a lynching and Israelis who tried to intervene were threatened by the attackers who numbered around a dozen. It's not known if the arab is alive or dead. This reminded me of my own close brush from being shot by Border Police 2 weeks back. All I can say is that the police and military seem to have lost its senses and treats even non-jew as an enemy.  http://www.timesofisrael.com/cops-in-tel-aviv-said-to-assault-arab-man-who-doesnt-show-id/

Eiffel Tower in
front of Mandarin
Restaurant

Then we are told by the media that the extremist kingpin of assaulting and destroying arabs and their properties (including also non-jews) has been released from detention with apparently no charges laid on him. Scot free.

Then we're  told that the death penalty which the extremist rightwing new Defense Minister is pushing (with the backing of his archenemy the PM) applies only to arabs and non-jews. The death penalty does not apply to jews who commit the same crime as non-jews.

Any wonder why a veteran israeli military correspondent openly said (and quoted in most newspapers) that he would not want his children to live in Israel anymore.  "Israel has been taken over by extremists" he said. A jewish british life-coach interviewed at the airport put it succinctly: "Doing things out of spite is part of Israeli Culture".

On a happier note, workers are preparing exhibitions of Jerusalem's annual Festival of Light. It will start on May 25th and end on June 3rd ... two days before Ramadan and coincidently also Jerusalem Day. To cater for israelis afraid to enter the Old City, there is now a section of the festival all along Jaffa Street starting from Tsahal Square (outside New Gate) to Ben Yehuda Mall. For example in front of Mandarin Restaurant there is a huge4 story model of the Eiffel Tower.