Riot

Crowds gathering to fight

So the news reported the reason for the strike yesterday: it was on the anniversary of the 2nd Intifada and a protest against the Nation-State Law. Did it make any difference? no ... except school children had a free day and we couldn't buy food or medicine. Anyway its over and nothing came out of it. In fact only one newspaper reported the event. There were more violent protests at the Gaza border but nothing more than that.

Sharma shop set on fire

This evening on my way home I witnessed a violent altercation between 2 shopkeepers at Musrara. Hundreds of supporters both sides got into a fight. Fire was set on the shwarma shop and its tables and chairs were thrown and smashed. In return the shwarma shopkeepers threw fireworks into the rioting crowd from the 2nd floor. Police intervened at least 5 times and only succeeded after some time in arresting a few trouble-makers. No stun grenades were fired ... the police were not armed with stun guns. But after some 2 hours things quietened down with arrests. Well the greatest enemy of the arabs are themselves.

We're all preparing for the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Tomorrow evening it's the Transitus at sunset when we celebrate the death of St. Francis. Then on Thursday we'll have the solemn Mass of the feast day. In order to prepare our chapel, our sisters needed to buy lots of flowers but they don't know the shops yet. So I had to bring them to the arab florists and bought 200 shekels with of flowers. Tomorrow I'll have to help them arrange the flowers in the Church and our refectory.  It'll be a long day.