Stormy night

Rainy morning today

What a night of rain. The cold and storm from Europe has blown into our region at last and it was everything the weather forecasters have said - strong gusty winds with rain. This will continue till tomorrow. We'll see what happens next week during Christmas. Actually we're all hoping for some snow. That would make Christmas perfect!

Police entourage at the Patriarchate

We're still not sure if the borders will be opened for our christians in Palestine, if they can come to Jerusalem and celebrate Christmas with the christians in Israel. Yesterday I happened to bump into the Police Chief and his entourage on a pre-Christmas visit to the Archbishop. They usually do this not to merely to wish the christian leaders but more to coordinate security. It's aways a tense moment during the feast days because extremists both jewish and muslim might try to do something harmful. Just yesterday new anti-christian graffiti were committed ... one on the walls of a church in Beersheba saying "Jesus = son of whore". This is the abuse we face everyday but nothing is done to protect us.

Sadly Christmas will be difficult for many families in the West Bank and Gaza because the UN is cutting back on food aid ... claiming that the US stoppage of funds to the UN has made food aid now impossible.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/un-announces-cuts-in-food-aid-to-gaza-west-bank/amp/?fbclid=IwAR100V_MUj8h2RQISNJEaGu7bKV2xBPNojf3riQE4ysYbh0kayay4JCqE1o

Anti-christian graffiti yesterday

And ISIS in Syria has killed 700 civilians ... a threat to christians celebrating Christmas. Yet Trump believes ISIS is vanquished and has pulled out US troops from Syria last night. No consultation. US military heads are at a lost as to what to do as they know well ISIS will rise again as soon as the US troops are gone.   https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/syria/islamic-state-kills-700-prisoners-in-east-syria-war-monitor-finds-1.6762515?fbclid=IwAR3_cRYjT_wbBKPFKnjdGPTKFqbV9rgx53T-MGrXJrwrLfh4swb0r_nEMAM