More violence

Quiet streets under
lockdown

 More brutal violence last night ... this time in Tel Aviv. a terrorist shot and killed 2 people in a bar while wounding dozens others. The violence is not abating while the police are caught between providing security and letting muslims the freedom to travel to and from Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque. Nobody agrees with these terrorists ... nobody here wants trouble. Nobody wants the holidays to be marred by violence and closures and restrictions. We've had enough closures for 2 years under Covid. But all it takes is one person to ruin everything. Next Friday is the Jewish Passover and Christian Good Friday. We want our rituals to go ahead without problems. But if the muslim minority of terrorists cannot respect that, then they should be deprived of their privilege to worship freely like other peaceful people can. Every year they attempt to disrupt our Christmas and Easter celebrations, and we have never done the same to them. The bottom line must be drawn and vigorously imposed. Enough is enough.

Ramadan street bazaar empty

Muslims, the majority especially those living in and around the Old City don't want trouble. They don't want their daily lives disrupted by closures and security checks. They want to freely go to the mosque and pray. But all it takes is one person from a faraway village to come and cause trouble, and everyone in East Jerusalem is made to pay the price. It is unfair. We are tired. Enough is enough.

So today, Friday in Ramadan, police presence has jacked up to 2000 in the Old City. The City Gates are blocked and all entry is checked one by one by the police. Few people wander the around the bazaar as nobody knows if a Molotov cocktail will be thrown or a gun shot or a stone thrown. Empty streets means no business. The shopkeepers pay the price.

So I hear that the City Gates will be reopened only at 5pm. That's when most muslims go to break their fast and eat. That'll bring some peace in the streets. I'll probably go home at that time. I'm too sick to run from stun grenades and rioting crowds. Life gets dangerous when you're old in a volatile environment.