Basilica reopened

Sunset yesterday

The Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre reopened this morning at 4am. The traditional muslim key-holders from the Neseybeh and Al Goudia families opened the millennia old locks and inside the representatives of the Greek, Armenian and Franciscan communities waited for the sunlight to enter the building as the doors opened. The announcement to reopen the Basilica came yesterday evening through a joint communique of the 3 church leaders. It had not been an easy decision to close the Basilica indefinitely, knowing well that many pilgrims have travelled long distances and sacrificed a lot to come to the Holy Land. However without any other course to protection ... least of all the churches outside the Holy Land, the closure was the last resort. 15 years ago something more drastic was decided when all the churches - orthodox, catholic and protestant - closed all their doors for a week when israeli jews occupied the Crusader Tower next to the Holy Sepulchre. They had barricaded themselves in there and the churches protested by total closure. The govt. had no choice but to send police to forcibly evict the settlers and returned the Tower to the Greek Orthodox.    https://www.timesofisrael.com/church-of-holy-sepulchre-to-reopen-after-city-suspends-church-tax-collections/

Purim parade at Herod's Gate

After 2 days of closure, the PM and the Mayor of Jerusalem decided to suspend the 2 controversial bills: one to back tax all church properties and the other to expropriate land from the churches. Both agreed to set up committees to dialogue with the churches in order to resolve the matters. Well that should have been done long time ago ... instead the State chose to unilaterally impose the bills, sending tax collectors to harass churches and monasteries event with threats and forceful closures of gates and entrances. Only such a drastic step of closing Christianity's most holy site could bring attention to the authorities. But of course this is not a victory for the churches ... far from it. Local Israelis are now even more stirred up against christians and we're expecting physical and verbal assaults in the streets from the jews as they celebrate Purim tonight. Even the leftwing newspaper is accusing the churches of politicising this "petty financial dispute". Petty for them, 60 million dollars for us ... churches that have no income and survive on the meagre offerings of pilgrims.   https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-no-israel-didn-t-just-declare-and-revoke-a-holy-war-on-christianity-1.5863894

This evening the first Lenten pilgrimage Mass will be celebrated on Dominis Flevit chapel on the Mt. of Olives. It's to commemorate the Lord weeping as he saw Jerusalem from a distance, weeping over Jerusalem's rejecting of her messiah. Most of the friars will be there for the Mass but I still have class to teach. I'm feeling very drained under this course of medication, plus work in 2 libraries and teaching. I'm ready to call it quits and retire.

And talking about medication, the Israeli pharmaceutical giant Teva is causing a storm in America because it's generic drug is being sold for US$18,275 for 100 pills. How could the poor and needy afford it?   http://www.jpost.com/Jpost-Tech/Business-and-Innovation/Outrage-as-Teva-charges-18275-for-generic-drug-in-US-543634