Today

Bare feet Jews

 It's Yom Kippur today. The streets are empty of people and vehicles. All public transport stopped since yesterday. Private cars too are very rare ... the occasional arab car passing by. Even the arab shops in East Jerusalem are mostly closed because the borders with Palestine are closed and shoppers can't come to Jerusalem. Locals too stay at home to avoid clashes and violence. It's all quite surreal. Once a year the whole country is like this. Eery. 

The few Jews I saw going to the Wailing Wall were bare feet ... a sign of penitence. Police presence were not as numerous as I had expected. There were police horses but we see them almost daily nowadays. Police at the regular checkpoints still stop arabs to check their IDs and permits. Strangely even New Gate which leads to the Christian Quarter was also blocked by metal barriers. Only pedestrians are allowed to walk in or out. They're really judaizing the Christian Quarter.

Empty Damascus Gate

My feet are still slightly swollen and my left ankle is hurting alot ... an old injury when I fell and twisted it in Bethlehem a decade ago. My breathing is difficult and chest still hurts as if the heart is bursting. I do feel very unwell. There're moments when I think my heart will stop as walking or climbing stairs have become an impossible task. There are moments when I just want to sit down and give up. All my energy is gone. I have nothing left.