Clashes

Praying for
Peace yesterday

Violence broke out yesterday evening in East Jerusalem. Arabs threw stones at cars suspected to be jewish. From Damascus Gate down to Wadi Jooz neighbourhood (Kidron Valley),stone throwing occurred ... and Israeli police responded with stun grenades, stink water cannons and rubber-coated bullets. The chemicals from the grenades wafted into our house and it was causing us to choke. I was at the MC convent for adoration and confessions. Fr. Abraham was also there. We were praying and adoring the Eucharist when the clashes took place. We had to close all our windows and doors. I managed to go home and stayed inside my room ... those chemicals will worsen my asthma while I'm recuperating from last week's illness. This morning on my way to work, there were stones and rocks all over the roads.

Later in the afternoon, news reported that there were clashes between muslims and Israeli police inside the Al Aqsa Mosque compound. Luckily I was 1km away at work so the tear gas and chemicals would not affect me. Now I dread having to go back ... my whole neighbourhood will be stinking from the chemicals.

Meantime Gaza had sent incendiary balloons into Israel, setting fire to several fields and forests. Israel responded by bombing Gaza. Our Patriarch was in Gaza at that time. He experienced first hand what it is like to live in a war zone. In a way it was good because the christians there for once had a shepherd with them. Let's hope all this violence will end quickly.