Police lynch arab citizen in Tel Aviv

The horrific lynching by police on an arab citizen is still in the news. It's more than horrific ... especially no govt. leader has yet to make a statement about it. More horrific because it's this xenophobic, fear and hatred based attitude that the govt. is inculcating on its jewish citizens that has led to this type of attacks and violence on innocent non-jews. If it were the other way round, it would be anti-Semitism and a worldwide outcry would be heard. More horrific now because not only are non-jews not protected by the law but now the law will apply the death penalty only to non-jews. Where is this country going? Where are the Torah values? Why are the rabbis silent? Can YHWH be pleased with this?  http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.721155

More horrific because it took place in Tel Aviv, the most open and liberal and tolerant city in the country. More horrific because the attackers were off-duty police who did not identify themselves when they approached the arab citizen. This is all so tragic.

Ex. 22:21 "Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt."
Deut. 10:19  "And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt."
Lev. 19:34  "The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God."

Full moon over Damascus Gate
Empty streets

And as if to show nature's displeasure ... strange changes have been taking place in the weather. Temperatures dropped drastically last night and it began drizzling all night. This morning it rained and the skies continue to be overcast. A very cold wind is blowing and noon temperature is barely 15 degrees.

The moon is once again full .... very eerie as it sits above the City Walls in this cold wet night. The streets are deadly quite and empty as local arabs in my Muslim Quarter fear attacks from the police. Everyone stays home. At 3am, police raid houses without warrants in the arab quarter and gather information from arabs above other arabs.  http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.720994

Franciscan Monastery in Aleppo bombed

Bombed sitting-room

On Saturday evening at about 6pm, our franciscan monastery and Terra Santa School in Aleppo was bombed. An elderly lady was killed and two seriously wounded. Others suffered various levels of injury.

The monastery and school has been sheltering elderly and homeless christians during the past 5 years of war. It was a safe haven for many. Now it was targeted by a missile and it is not known if it was a govt. missile or russian or rebel muslim.

One elderly lady dies

Please don't forget to pray for the christians in Syria who are being persecuted in a war that does not involve them. Pray for the franciscans who are risking their lives to remain in the abandoned city to serve the christians to the end. Pray for Mother Teresa's sisters who are serving these elderly and sick sheltering in our monastery; for the St. Vincent de Paul sisters who remain to run their hospital (Sr. Munira the former cook of the Bethfage convent is now in this hospital working) to help the injured.

You cannot remain indifferent yet call yourself a catholic.

Sigh ***

As Israel inches towards its most ever extreme rightwing govt. (quoting newspapers, world leaders and Israel observers), more bad news flooded in today.

Firstly news abound of how plain clothes Border Police beat up an arab shop-worker in Tel Aviv in broad daylight and in full view of Israelis. Witnesses say it was a lynching and Israelis who tried to intervene were threatened by the attackers who numbered around a dozen. It's not known if the arab is alive or dead. This reminded me of my own close brush from being shot by Border Police 2 weeks back. All I can say is that the police and military seem to have lost its senses and treats even non-jew as an enemy.  http://www.timesofisrael.com/cops-in-tel-aviv-said-to-assault-arab-man-who-doesnt-show-id/

Eiffel Tower in
front of Mandarin
Restaurant

Then we are told by the media that the extremist kingpin of assaulting and destroying arabs and their properties (including also non-jews) has been released from detention with apparently no charges laid on him. Scot free.

Then we're  told that the death penalty which the extremist rightwing new Defense Minister is pushing (with the backing of his archenemy the PM) applies only to arabs and non-jews. The death penalty does not apply to jews who commit the same crime as non-jews.

Any wonder why a veteran israeli military correspondent openly said (and quoted in most newspapers) that he would not want his children to live in Israel anymore.  "Israel has been taken over by extremists" he said. A jewish british life-coach interviewed at the airport put it succinctly: "Doing things out of spite is part of Israeli Culture".

On a happier note, workers are preparing exhibitions of Jerusalem's annual Festival of Light. It will start on May 25th and end on June 3rd ... two days before Ramadan and coincidently also Jerusalem Day. To cater for israelis afraid to enter the Old City, there is now a section of the festival all along Jaffa Street starting from Tsahal Square (outside New Gate) to Ben Yehuda Mall. For example in front of Mandarin Restaurant there is a huge4 story model of the Eiffel Tower.

Rain in May?

So we finally have a new Custos. It's been quite a surprise to many if not all of us - an outsider was chosen by Rome and not any of our nominees. He has never lived in the Holy Land so he'll have a lot to learn ... especially in dealing with the delicate political situations in Syria and the Israeli-Arab conflict. May the Holy Spirit lead him in wisdom and courage.

Frogs in a pond

The Old City is preparing to celebrate the Festival of Lights ... an annual event that winds it's way through the Christian, Jewish and Armenian Quarters with light displays and performances. The Muslim Quarter is always left out because of fear of violence and attacks. Last year it was canceled because of the rising tensions between the jewish and arab communities. This year the organizers feel confident enough to go ahead with it .... but definitely with all precautions taken into consideration.

The heatwave has passed and the daytime weather is more bearable .... about 25 degrees. The nights are chilly though ... down to 12 degrees. Forecast is rain on Monday and Tuesday. Rain in May???? Well if the frogs are right, it should rain. There were countless frogs in the pond of the local nursery that I visited yesterday. I had to buy some flower pots for the Chinese Sisters convent. And as I entered this huge nursery in the valley just after the Valley of the Cross, you can hear the loud droning of frogs that drown out even our voices. The frogs are making their mating call and this happens only when the rains come so their eggs and tadpoles have survive in the temporary pools and ponds. Being so deafening, the frogs must seem very confident that it will rain.

Mother Teresa's sisters organized a
Mass inside the Empty Tomb for me
to preside for my Jubilee celebration

On another note, the City will also celebrate Jerusalem Day or Unification Day on June 5th Sunday. That's when the Israelis recall the Israeli army taking over the Jordanian side of the Old City including the Wailing Wall and all the territories of the West Bank. For the Israelis, it's a unification of the country. For the palestinians, they were chased out of their homes and land, becoming refugees ... and hence it's not a happy occasion. Like every year we expect some violence. Sadly it's the violent and extremist zionist israelis who will enter the Muslim Quarter of the City to provoke the arabs, mock them and deride of their loss of land and statehood. The govt is tripling its funding to these groups to march through the Muslim Quarter this year!!! http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.720161  As if things cannot get worse, this year it also happens to fall on Ramadan. Tensions will be high. I might just go out like every year to take photos. But it's getting risker by each year. Last year there was the real fear of being attacked by these extremist jews because they want all non-jews out of the country. I think they feel the same way this year.

Bad news

We are in so much trouble .... the PM has done a U-turn that would costs us and the State of Israel a heavy price: he re-nominated his arch-rival and critic and extreme right-winger to be Defense Minister. It's like cutting off the nose to spite the face ... because the PM was angered by top military brass criticising him so he sends in this ex-minister (whom the PM kicked out in the previous govt) back to head the military, knowing well that this ex-minister despises the military chiefs. However he also despises everyone else ... arabs, non-jews, leftwing jews ... his own PM and govt .... We can expect a cut in visas for foreigners, more wars with neighbouring countries, more arrests of local arabs and leftwing jews, a rise in xenophobia, Adding to bad news for re-introduction of the death penalty ... We can expect Israel's international standing to fall (as it did when this minister was in power in the previous govt), more fear-mongering, more appropriation of palestinian lands ... The govt. is now the most extreme rightwing this country has ever experienced.

Attempting to make
goreng pisang
yesterday

See http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.720327 and http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.720541 and http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Netanyahus-offer-to-Liberman-to-join-coalition-shows-that-Israel-favors-extremism-says-PA-454428

Meanwhile the missing egyptian airliner is worrying us all as it's made us more aware that terrorists have not back downed in the present fight against terrorism; and this adds fuel to the new extremist rightwing Defense Minister to up his call for more restrictions, curbs, arrests and shoot-to-kill policies.

News just in ... the PM has agreed with this Minister to impose the death penalty.

Adding to the bad news ... 5 non-kosher shops selling pork on Saturday as been targeted by religious extremists to enforced closure. Luckily the Court papers to be dismissing this ruling. And the govt. is raising by one third the budget to fund jewish groups to march through the Muslim Quarter in next week's Jerusalem Day with flags or other nationalistic emblems: something very provocative in an already sensitive area in town. And of course .... where I live. Expect some big time violence next week.

Heatwave

Well Nakba Day was pretty quiet here in Jerusalem ... nothing happened. But in the Territories there were demonstrations and scuffles at the border.

This morning though there was a stabbing at Musrara, the open market opposite Damascus Gate. The Old City was closed off for about an hour before reopening. Then life went on as usual.

Sunset in Jerusalem during the heatwave. Sickly yellow.

We're in the middle of a heatwave. Rare and extreme ... that's what the weather bureau is calling it. Right now it's 42 degrees. The heat from the ground rises up and suffocates, And of course there's the sand and dust from the desert blowing in. My asthma has become so bad I cannot sleep at all. I'm just gasping for air every minute. I don't want to be back on a course of Prednisone as I just came off it last week. Too much cortisone. It's making me sick. My daily Telfast 180 tablets don't seem to be working and neither are the puffers. Walking back and from work, I need to stop twice to rest. And climbing up stairs. And the headache is awful.

Anyway the heatwave is one probable cause for the lack of violence on Nakba Day. I think it can be statistically proven that during the hottest days of the year there is a slow down in violence. Everyone just wants to stay indoors.

Let's hope the weather cools down the next few days as forecast. Not that I want violence tor return ... but this heat is really killing us. And asthmatics like me ... it's literally a death sentence.

Nakba Day

It's Nakba Day today ... 15th May. It's the Palestinian commemoration of how they lost their land when the Israelis established their independent State. How 2 million palestinians were moved out of their land to become refugees in Lebanon, Egypt and Syria till today, stateless and still refugees. You can read more about it:
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.719641
http://imeu.org/article/quick-facts-the-palestinian-nakba  (a concise fact-line of the Nakba)
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/writingfromtheedge/2016/05/thank-you-chief-rabbi-now-i-know-judaism-is-to-blame-for-the-palestinian-nakba/

There has been no violence today ... which is strange since demonstrations against the Israelis usually result in scuffles. Well then again I won't know as I'm at home. I'd love to go out and see the demonstrations but it's too hot and I have a headache. In fact we're having a heatwave these few days. In Eilat it's 48 degrees!! Tel Aviv is 40 degrees ... and Jerusalem is a few degrees below that.

The Custos presiding at prayers in the
Upper Room

And lest we forget, today is also Pentecost day. Solemn Mass and prayers at the Cenacle which once a year, the Israeli govt. opens up for us to celebrate Pentecost. The Upper Room is still officially Franciscan property but the govt. refuses to return it to us ... using it as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Church over taxes, property and other stuff. Shameful.