2nd Friday of Ramadan

Roads leading to Damascus Gate
were all closed to traffic

Apparently Israel has reversed it's ban on Palestinians coming into Israel during Ramadan. The ban was placed last week after the Tel Aviv massacre by 2 arabs from Hebron (Palestinian Territory). But this morning thousands upon thousands of muslims from the Territories flooded into the Old City to get into the Al Aqsa Mosque.

There were so many of them that Damascus Gate was practically turned over to them for entry and exit to the Old City. Jews began using our christian New Gate to enter the City. Police presence was stepped up. By noon even the roads outside the City walls, those main thoroughfares leading to East Jerusalem and Damascus Gate ,were all closed to traffic. The chaos it created was unbelievable. The human wave kept flooding into the City and then after prayers at the Mosque, it flooded back out.

Making qattayef pancakes

Though most food shops are closed during Ramadan, there are some who still open. It's been much more tolerant this year. They were allowed to function without harassment from muslim extremists (unlike previous years). One of my favourite Ramadan food is on sale and made fresh during the fasting hours!!! It's Qattayef pancakes .... usually it's wrapped with cheese or walnuts and drizzled with honey. But in Ramadan they sell the pancakes alone so people can add their own fillings later in the evening when fasting is over. I like eating it with jam for breakfast. Half a kilo costs 6 shekels .... pretty reasonable.

Packing qatteyef
pancakes for sale

On the political front, former intellgence and defence chiefs have ganged up to criticise the PM for his recent tactics. They have lost confidence in him and some are openly challenging his leadership and govt. Let's see how it ends. The PM is famous for using scare tactics to keep himself in power. During the last election he warned of "busloads of arabs coming to outvote the jews" ... thus drawing more jewish votes for himself to battle the "enemy vote'. Now it looks like he'll use the fear of a looming Lebanon war to rally even the reluctant citizen behind him ... as no one wants a divided country during a war.

Well this summer looks pretty heated from all this .... plus the heatwave that's still hovering over us. But looking back the past years, that's usually what the Ramadan scene has been. Nothing unusual.