War and Peace

Kaufman road that links Jaffa with
Tel Aviv at 4am

Another exhausting day gone. Thank goodness. I was up at 1.30am this morning because I was afraid I might oversleep ... I had to go to the airport at 5.30am to send off some visitors. However I must first pick them up at their hotel. No taxis at 4am so I had to walk 4 km from St. Peter's in Jaffa to the heart of Tel Aviv. Frightening thought as it's not safe. Big surprise for me to find the beach still with people ... even families with toddlers playing at Clore Park, strolling with prams ... and there was a police car patrolling the shore. It felt safe and I got to my destination safe and sound. By the time I got home in Jerusalem at 10am I was utterly exhausted and slept till now ... 5pm.

Jewish and muslim teens at the beach

There were some tensions the other day in the Old City ... not because of clashes but because King Abdullah of Jordan came for a visit. The Muslim Quarter was under lockdown. Then yesterday there were actually clashes but out in the New City ... not with arabs but with ultra-orthodox jews against the Defense Minister who came to visit. He's been pushing the ultra-orthodox community for mandatory military service (which they have dodged for the past 60 years) and the community came out to throw stones at him and the police. Israeli implosion ... something I've constantly warned. And to add insult to injury, ultra-orthodox jewish women carried Palestinian flags. They do not recognise the zionist State of Israel and believe it is God's Will that they should live under the arabs and only the Messiah can establish a jewish State.

Well such enmity within and without Judaism is not apparent in Tel Aviv, especially at the beach and in summer! Yesterday I saw a group of conservative jewish teens in black kippa (skull caps) playing volleyball with a group of muslim arab teens. After that they shared drinks and cigarettes and took photos together. Peaceful co-existence is possible ... let the younger generation lead the way. The older generation has too much baggage to open new horizons.

And then Gaza attacked Israel with missiles rockets last night. Israel responded by firing missiles back into Gaza. Possibly a prelude to an autumn of violence. http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-jets-hit-hamas-targets-in-gaza-after-rocket-strike/