Storm

Rain in the Suq & slippery streets

The rains continued this afternoon .... heavily. Infant there was a hailstorm at 1.15pm before the downpour. But prior to that the sky was bright and blue, though very very cold. The hail caused a lot of noise as it beat down on the zinc roofs. Then the rain pelted down. I had to go up to my other office because I had 2 meetings and 2 chores to do in the New City. By the time reached my office, 1 km uphill by foot, I was totally drenched despite the raincoat  I wore. On one hand it felt like what winter should .... but on the other hand, it's terribly inconvenient. The stone pavement in the Old City is a death trap ... almost everyone has had a narrow escape from the slippery streets.
Most shops are closed though those serving hot food are doing brisk business.

And anyway we really do need the rain after these 15 years of drought.  Tel Aviv and the coastal cities are receiving 2 consecutive days of rain. But it's not as cold as in Jerusalem here. The Sea of Galilee however is not rising because the water is flowing towards the Mediterranean Sea instead of the lake. So we might still have a drought year in 2017.

Freezing weather before the rains

But this weather is nothing compared to the political scene here. Israel is furious over the UN security council voting to draft a resolution against Israel's building of settlements in Palestinian land. Ambassadors of the council were summoned on Christmas Day and roundly rebuked, with promises of aid withdrawal. In fact aid has already been cut or stopped to several countries as punishment for not taking israel's side. Mad with Obama, the Israeli PM thinks he'll have a better deal with Trump.  All I can say is: Trump is a businessman; if he sees no profit in an endeavour, he'd cut his losses by pulling out and going the opposite direction. Israel has one very unpredictable ally in Trump. Israel had better have a Plan B and C  when Trump dumps Israel.

The revenge of having to withdraw one settlement from south Jerusalem this week is the demolishing of hundreds of arab houses in east Jerusalem. And though permits are granted for other arab houses to be built, for each permit granted 18 existing houses are demolished. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.761306

Another scary news of the rising power of the religious far right. Some soldiers died of cold because after exercises in the freezing weather, officers denied them turning on the heating because it's against the sabbath law. I think 3 died of hypothermia as a result this weekend. The Sabbath Law was meant to serve man, to preserve life but now it's man serving the Law. It's pharisaism like once upon a time. Sad because Israel's security is at risk. http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/politics-and-military/military/commanders-refused-soldiers-to-turn-on-heating-in-tents-for-fear-of-sabbath-desecration-25559

On a happier note, there's an article about what food christians here eat during Christmas. Apparently the christians in the south have different food traditions than those from the north. Interesting. http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/food/1.693702