Fire!!!

The weather has been so scorching hot these 2 days, there's now a  raging forest fire in Beit Shemesh which is about 25 km northwest of Jerusalem. A housing estate has been evacuated while 22 fire-engines are being deployed to fight the fire. Let's hope it'll be extinguished by tonight. Horrific.

Way of the Cross: new twist

Tourists have trickled ... with the usual asian groups. Europeans and Americans are no longer coming.  It's either out of fear or due to economic troubles. The attack in Syria by Turkey yesterday is ruffling a lot of feathers locally. No one knows the consequence.

Anyway Asians of course have none of these troubles ... and they're big spenders ... so locals love them. Via Dolorosa .. where the Way of the Cross begins, is pretty quiet. Fewer groups are carrying the crosses down the lane. In a way it's good for us locals ... at last we can walk freely without being blocked by gawking tourists.

It'll be Tisha B'Av soon ... the day the jewish Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BC, and after being rebuilt was again destroyed in 70 AD by the Roman armies ... all on the same day: the 9th day of Av.

Back again

Had to spend the last 3 days working with a group. They needed a guide ... I needed the money. Things have become so expensive now and with my constant traveling to see the doctor, buying food that I can eat without getting sick and lots of medication ... I am running desperate. So doing 3 days guiding was ok ... but its so very tiring. I hardly have the energy anymore to do this job. Looks like I must find alternative jobs more suited to my health from now.

Mercantile Bank - the 1st in the
Muslim Quarter

What a surprise! In El Wad street (= "The Valley" meaning the ancient Tyropoen Valley that runs north - south in the Old City) which is the life-line of the Muslim Quarter, a bank has just been established. It's the Mercantile Bank and they bought over 2 large but useless souvenir shops and converted them to a bank and safe-deposit box room. Now that's a fantastic risk ... what with the unpredictable temper of the arabs, the constant tension between jews and arabs (the bank is jewish) and of course the high rate of robberies in that part of town.

Coca Cola in summer

Summer is well on its way and it's very very hot. The news says that it'll be the hottest summer in over 50 years. I'll believe that! The heat just withers everything in its path. Luckily the nights are not too hot ... and there's a lovely breeze once in a while. Coca Cola has come up with a new slogan for their cans - "I love Summer". Well I would too if I get a holiday. Perhaps later in August .... but then again it's all wishful thinking. I'll never get a holiday this year. I never got one for the past 13 years.

Peking Duck House

Authentic egg noodles at
Peking Duck House

Yesterday was Eid el Fitri. Ramadan has finally ended and life goes on as usual.Half a million worshippers entered the Old City and into the Al Aqsa Mosque. There were no incidents. But outside Jerusalem, clashes have been reported ... not between muslims and jews but muslims against other muslims. Yesterday a 16 yr old bedouin boy was shot dead when two feuding muslim families fought it out; they were bedouins in the Negev. Several others were wounded.

By the way, we're still expecting the revenge attacks between the Atur arabs and the Bab Hutta arabs. Anytime this week and next a war will break out. It's a question of honour. The police will stand back and let them fight it out in the beginning ... just to fulfill the honour revenge ... and then they'll break up the fight. Let's see if my forecast is correct.

Well I wasn't in the Old City during Eid el Fitri. I moved out to Jaffa though it was difficult to rest. Phone calls kept coming from work place. I honestly deserve a break and I wish people can respect that.

Peking Duck House in Tel Aviv

One good thing about the 24 hour break was I discovered Peking Duck House - a chinese restaurant with cooks from Shenzhen and Shanghai. The cuisine is much more authentic chinese than Mandarin's in Jerusalem ... though the buns (bao) and dumplings are premade frozen stuff while Mandarin's are all homemade. The prices are competitive but their portions are very large. And it's just 50 metres away from Thai House. It's almost impossible to eat at Thai House now ... it's so popular you need to book a table several days in advance; and they don't do takeaways anymore. I think Thai House will fail because of it's success. People will start moving to other restaurants that do not require prior reservations and sell takeaways ... like Peking Duck House. We;; it certainly is for me.

Wasted food

Last night passed without incident. The promised revenge attack of the 2 groups of arabs will take place after Eid el Fitri (Friday) - so I've been told. We're expecting some big action in my area next week then. I'd like to go witness it but must be very careful. Innocent bystanders are known to have been shot or injured during mass riots (understatement of the year).

Lots of unconsumed bread
are crushed and fed to birds

I've noticed how much food has been wasted this year during Ramadan. Lots of uneaten rice, couscous, bread, hummus and left by the streets. Luckily there is a Middle-eastern tradition that encourages locals to feed the birds with these food. Bread above all is regarded as a gift from God. I have seen jews and arabs alike pick up pieces of bread from the ground, sometimes kiss it, and then place it on a higher ledge. Bread is sacred. It must not be left on the ground to be trampled on. A nice tradition. But it would be nicer if people only bought what they could eat, and the rest be given to the poor. Just think of the syrian refugees suffering from hunger this Ramadan.

Jewish religious laws have again occupied headlines today. One is re-inforcement of kosher slaughtering: animals should be humanely slaughtered for food. Apparently this came up because slaughter houses have been known to put animals through a very distressful and disrespectful process.

Another jewish law - this time condemned - is the segregation of men and women inside buses. Though this is illegal, it still continues in many ultra-orthodox neighbourhoods. And another law being pushed through the Knesset today is force-feeding hunger strikers. This comes in the wake (yesterday) of Israel releasing an arab hunger striker from prison.

Gaza this morning fired rockets into southern Israel ... again. They don't seem to learn that they can never win ... or at least that's what we think. Firing rockets into Israel is one tactic used to bring attention away from domestic problems ... and Hamas at the moment has alot.

And in the light of all this ... tonight Ramadan ends and the feast of Fitri begins. We're expecting half a million worshippers into the Old City tonight. And revelry will go on till tomorrow morning at 7. Then life gets back to normal ... if normal is the word.

Riots!!!!

Crowds gathering in front of the
Police Station

There was a massive riot last night at Herod's Gate which lasted some 3 hours. I had just returned from hospital in Tel Aviv at half past midnight, and decided to enter the City by Herod's Gate to avoid the crowds. However the riots just got started.

Apparently the minibus drivers from Atur (a village on the Mt of Olives where the Apostles brought a donkey for Christ to ride down to Jerusalem) have parked all round the roads in front of Herod's Gate, touting for passengers, thus blocking the traffic and also parking space of local residents. Locals from Bab Hutta quarter which is directly inside Herod's Gate came out to complain. A fight ensured and police (the Police Station is also directly in front of Herod's Gate) came to arrest one driver. Crowds of Atur supporters gathered around the Police Station to protest and after 15 mins the guy was released. He came out venting his anger by bashing a few cars belonging to  Bab Hutta residents.

The Bab Hutta residents gathered in their hundreds (they're a pretty aggressive bunch coming from the poorest quarter of the Old City) with stones, sticks, Molotov cocktails and other weapons and attacked the minibuses and their drivers. Two minibuses were quite damaged and their drivers beaten up.

Minutes later the Atur crowd came back in their hundreds and entered Herod's Gate to damage the houses inside as well as beating up the Bab Hutta residents. They smashed 5 cars parked in front of Herod's Gate ... really bad, even setting one on fire.

The Bab Hutta crowd regathered inside the City and rushed out to beat back the Atur rioters, more Molotov cocktails and even one gas tank that was opened and was about to be lit. I was 20 meters away and I ran like hell. If it had exploded, many people would have died. The gas tank was thrown down hill towards the Atur rioters.

Israeli police had already fired stun grenades earlier to disperse the crowd but with a gas tank opened, they did not risk an explosion so they stood aside. They only charged at the crowds when the gas tank was removed from the road and the 2 fighting groups had gone down towards the Kidron Valley. Lots of stun grenades fired.

Crowds re-gathering after Molotov
cocktails had been thrown. A few
seconds later a gas tank was rolled
down the hill, which would have
exploded had the attacker not decide
to abandon the plan.

After 3 hours (meaning 3am) the elders from the Bab Hutta quarter came out to speak to the crowd, calming them and telling them of a truce they agreed with the Atur elders by phone. Then they spoke to the police gathered in front of Herod's Gate. The Police wanted to charge into the City and make some arrests but the elders persuaded the Police not to ... they would surrender the few culprits who caused damage to the Police themselves.

Things finally quietened down by 3.30am and I could walk home. Inside the Old City, groups of men gathered in 5s and 10s, talking about what happened and how they would seek compensation for the damage done to their property. As it is, things are not over. There'll be revenge attacks after Eid el Fitri. Watch this space for updates!

Laylat el Qadr

Muslim worshippers in the Al Aqsa
compound praying last night
(stock pic from Internet)

Last night was the Laylat el Qadr ... the night when muslims believe the first verses of the Koran was revealed to Muhammed, and when the heavens open and sins are forgiven. The eastern side of the Old City was packed with thousands of worshippers going into the Al Aqsa Mosque to pray ... and they stay the whole night. Imams preached the entire night on the public system, and people were flocking the streets. I didn't think I could get home from work ... but proper timing is the key. I waited till about 9pm when the crowds were either home eating or at the Al Aqsa compound eating ... the streets were much less crowded and I walked home. it was still difficult to get home ... but the traffic was at least moving. Blockages occurred only when women stopped in the middle of the street to look at clothes and handbags and other stuff shops were selling. Just 2 women stopping is enough to block the traffic, causing a jam up to 50 metres behind. I think the municipality should open only Damascus Gate to women to walk next year, and the other gates for men so we can move on without hindrance. What a tiresome bother. Israeli riot police were at standby but nothing serious occurred except for flaring tempers when women stop to shop ... oblivious to the shouts and pushing all around them. Shopping must have a narcotic effect on these women, it dulls their senses to their surroundings but their senses sharpen at the object to buy.

Hours before Laylat el Qadr
police blocked off the walkway
to Damascus Gate because
crowds were spilling into
the tram tracks, blocking
the trams.

There was tragedy in Bethlehem yesterday when at least 1 christian died. Apparently 2 muslim families got into a fight over parking space, one stabbed the other; and in a revenge attack the victim's family torched the perpetrators house which was at the ground floor of a building. Families in the upper floors were christians and couldn't get out as smoke rose upwards. One christian lady jumped from the balcony and died when she hit the street.

It's only 3 more nights before the end of Ramadan, and the crowds will get even bigger. I'm still trying to plan a getaway for these few days as I can take no more stress. But with my luck, nothing will work.

Summer of discontent

Waning moon over the City Walls

Well the summer has started with protests galore ... first with the ethiopic jews against the police, then the public uproar over the PM's decision to privatise the natural gas industry thus driving up prices, then the Religious Service Minister rejected non-orthodox jews as jews, and the ultra-orthodox ministers/rabbis consolidating power over kosher laws and marriage and conversion validity by nullifying the authority of the liberal rabbis, and now a group of women are camping outside the PM's house to protest the continuing Gaza blockade which may result in another war. Never a dull moment in Israeli life.

Lovely waxing moon
under the arches

On the arab side, Ramadan ends in 4 days' time. There is a flurry of activities throughout the arab side of the City. More food is bought, new clothes ... everything new for the house. If the new moon is sighted, it should fall on Friday ... meaning Thursday night they'll spend the entire night in the mosque. I can't imagine the chaos in the streets. I should really leave the City during that time. After all, ISIS has threatened to kill all christians this Friday. I'd expect after the Eid el Fitri, some problems would erupt from this eastern side ... just to keep this alive this summer.

I'm still stuck with loads of work ... these few days I finish work at 10pm. I should go for a short break in Jaffa ... but it's always a dream. Maybe I should  start a protest movement of my own ... to get a break from work.