Wet and tense Friday

Police blockade at the
3rd Station of the Cross

Today was proof that the Intifada is really underway. The whole Muslim Quarter has been closed off ... all roads leading to the City Gates in that Quarter were also closed. Only men over 50 yrs were allowed to enter the City. Very very tense. Young men gathered in the streets or blockades and prayed in the muddy streets as it was raining the whole day.

Scuffles took place in several street corners with the police. And there were very many soldiers and police. I guess the muslims knew they couldn't match the stun grenades and tear gas ... and with all the alleys and side-streets all blockaded since yesterday, there was no escape route ... so no rioting took place.

Police in the shade
away from the rain

Despite the tensions, stupid tourist guides continued to bring groups in the streets. Very dangerous. In fact one very very stubborn priest insisted on making the Way of the Cross, with giant cross (5 feet) held up, guitar strumming right through the street that was blocked by muslims kneeling in the mud praying because the police would not allow them to enter the Al Aqsa Mosque. The muslims would have beaten him and the guide up if not for others who came in between. That stupid stubborn priest should go to jail for putting the group's safety at risk. The group did not want to make the devotion, seeing how tense it was in the streets ... but the priest ... with his "priestly" authority and questionable spirituality, imposed it on the group and so the nasty confrontation. All I say is this type of priest should be banned from guiding groups, black-listed by agencies and denied a visa. They give priest-guides a bad name.

Damascus Gate market
inside the City is empty
because of the rain and curfew

Anyway things calmed down in the City and by evening the blockades were lifted. Not sure if the curfew has been lifted though. Last night the streets were eerily quiet and empty of people. It smelled like the intifada 14 yrs ago. Well if it's not here, then at least winter is. Nights drop to 12 degrees. The rain makes it colder than it is. My small radiator is out. Too cold to sleep without it. One good thing though about the cold and rain ... it deters people from going outdoors and rioting. Too much of a hassle in the slippery and muddy streets ... and too clumsy by wearing too much clothes. Perhaps we'll get a quiet night tonight.

Muslim Quarter closed off

Empty street at 5am

Yesterday and today saw dreadful violence. An outspoken rabbi was shot last night just outside the Old City. Serious injuries. The police closed off the Muslim Quarter and surrounding villages. This morning after and all night search, they killed one suspect in Abu or, a village 1km south of the Old City. The Al Aqsa Mosque was totally closed to everyone including muslims ... I think as a punishment. Everyone is fearing of retaliation and revenge by both sides. Police continue to flock around the Old and New Cities in high alert for terrorists. There was a curfew that lasted all night.

Right now a marching band of muslims are demonstrating in front of our house. Scary. There must be more demonstrations around as stun grenades are being fired further north of our place. My fear that the 3rd Intifada has started was confirmed yesterday when municipality leaders voiced the same. Everyone - jew and muslim know it, talk about it but no one wants to all it by its proper name ... an intifada.

This morning at 5am I needed to go to Tel Aviv to see the podiatrist but because of the curfew and blockages, I could not get out of the City till half an hour later. All this is part of the collective punishment meted by Israel on the arab population for the shooting of the rabbi. The Mayor has called for absolutely strict application of the law on all arab communities - illegal structures to be torn down, traffic tickets to be handed out at any minor infringement, confiscation of property and animals .... this collection punishment of innocent and guilty will only make many peaceful arabs turn against the israelis. It'll only worsen the situation. It's a very wrong call .... but the Mayor doesn't want to hear it.

Clashes

Sunday night saw fresh clashes at Lions' Gate at midnight. The arab "suicide terrorist" as Israel calls him who drove his car into the Light Rail killing 2 jews (one a baby) and injuring 6 others had died but his funeral was forced to take place by the police at 11.30pm. Angry arab crowds gathered at the Al Aqsa mosque for the prayers and then to the cemetary outside Lions Gate. Riots too place and Israeli police fired tear gas and stun grenades. The clashes went on for over an hour. Other clashes occurred in nearby towns.

An angel on a motorbike
playing the loveliest music
on an electric harp

Mondays are nightmares. I wake up at 3am and work right through till 10pm ... a total of 19 hours flat with no rest or meals. It started with class, then work in one library, work editing articles, then back to class in another school, then work in another library, then conference with visiting pilgrims. It was so exhausting I had no appetite when I came home even though I felt hungry. Went to sleep immediately. Come to think of it, I've slept very little these past 2 weeks as I'm called out for emergencies mostly at 2am or so ... poor family members getting arrested in late night raids and they want me to intervene as I speak english, and the presence of a foreigner tends to intimidate the police or at least stop them from unjustified beatings.

I didn't have time to go back to my podiatrist to get my insoles ... don't know when I'll be free enough to go. The Morton's neuroma is still hurting very much. And I've developed bronchitis due to the cold damp air in the early mornings. It drops to 12 degrees at night here though daytime is around 26 degrees. I think winter will be cold this year ... more than the usual.

Sabbath at last

Main road to East Jerusalem closed

Yesterday saw a very heavy military presence in and around the Old City and East Jerusalem. In fact East Jerusalem was practically blocked off with road closures and security check points. Really massive. Arab men below 50 yrs were not allowed to enter the City. All these tough actions are a retaliation against the terrorist car incident and the riots against jewish settlers in Silwan (biblical Siloam). As many people were excluded from entry into the City for Friday prayers, anger boiled over and there were riots and scuffles throughout the neighbourhood outside the City. One 14 yr old was killed when israeli soldiers shot him. Things returned to calm later in the afternoon.

French students at our manuscripts
exhibition

Anyway I'm still totally exhausted from the conference and exhibition. Made a short trip to Tel Aviv to see the podiatrist but being Friday, the clinic was closed early. My right foot still hurts even if I don't walk. The Morton's neuroma is certainly a painful condition but I don't want a surgery to relieve it. And a constant wheezing seems to point to asthma again ... but it's probably exposure to the dust from the old manuscripts that I've been handling the past 2 weeks for the exhibition.

What I've been lacking is sleep. Hope I can catch up on it today if no one bothers me.

Friday

Open market at Musrara
on Friday

Finally I get to breathe. Was very busy preparing for an exhibition of some of our ancient manuscripts from the library. There was also a conference after the exhibition at 5pm. Then we had to clean up the library after the exhibition and store the ancient manuscripts back in the deposit room. It was tiring. But it was a great success. Lots of local people but especially academics from universities came to the exhibition. There was even a class of 13 yr old french students accompanied by 3 teachers. It made all the preparation work and sleepless nights worth it. The conference began with few people and we thought no one would come except for the dozen that arrived. But 15 mins unto the talk and the room was full. Lively reactions from the audience with lots of questions. My boss was very very happy.

Meantime the situation in the streets are bad. A terrorist car attack on the light rail caused the death of a 3 month baby. Several others were injured. Rocks continue to be thrown at the light rail. Scuffles in the usual sites of Ras al Amud, Silwan and the surrounding villages south of Jerusalem. Yesterday East Jerusalem was closed to traffice from 2pm and continues to be closed today. The mayor has promised to get tough with rioters.

As for me all I want is to rest after the exhausting 4 days of work. Letr's hope the violence will not disturb my sleep.

Ilie Chiscari R.I.P.

R.I.P. Ilie

The past few days have been absolutely crazy ... with so much work I don't even have time to sleep. Take Sunday night/Monday morning .... only managed to sleep at 3am because people in trouble needed to talk. Slept for one hour and then at 4am was up for classes. Worked the entire morning and afternoon with no rest. Was so tired I slept while teaching in the afternoon. The students were kind enough not to make noise and let me sleep. So embarrassing.

Sunday was also a very very sad day for all of ours. We received news that our former student Ilie Chiscari, who defended his Licentiate in Easter this year, was killed by a car while walking to church. He was a Romanian Orthodox priest and leaves behind a baby and his wife Emanuele who's pregnant with their 2nd child. Everyone here was shocked. Even today students, staff and professors are slowly letting this sad news sink in. Ilie was a quiet guy, very hard-working and very intelligent. He was editing an encyclopedia of Romanian Orthodox Theology. No one can believe such a tragedy. Poor Ema ... she has all our support and prayers.

Peddlers selling umbrellas
at the first shower of winter

The first rains fell this Sunday morning. Heavy showers the whole day. Temperatures fell. It feels like winter. It added to the sadness we all felt at Ilie's passing.

Friday again

Soldiers and police
in front of our school

Yesterday morning at 5.30am we were awaken by explosions of fireworks and stun grenades fired in the Al Aqsa Compound. It's the first time riots took place so early in the morning. By 6am the road from Lions Gate to our place was closed off and hundreds of soldiers were swarming our street. Because of the massive military presence, there was no violence in the streets during the morning. But I think later they closed off Damascus and Herod's Gates as well ... limiting entry into the City to men over 50 yrs. I think there were scuffles outside at the Gates. But inside the City there were no problems even after the noon prayers.

It was only later at 11pm that violence re-occurred. I was already asleep but woke up with a shock when dozens of fireworks were fired in the streets in front and behind our house ... a couple directly from below my window. The police responded by firing stun grenades. Running battle went on for over an hour. How can a poor sick man get some rest and sleep?

Another team of soldiers
at the other end of the
street between the Armenian
basilica and the
Austrian Hospice

The weather is turning cold now. Nights drop between 12 - 15 degrees. I think its time to get my radiator out and keep the fan away. Only problem is the weather is pretty fickle and if by Christmas the heat returns, I don't want to have to take the fan out again.

I decided yesterday to bring a new student to buy winter clothes and heater and other necessities. Walked round East Jerusalem only to find all the shops closed. Of course ... it was Friday; muslims don't work. Walked to West Jerusalem ... and everything closed. Of course the Sabbath was just beginning so all Jews don't work. I simply forgot it was Friday and nothing works in this country on the jewish and arab sides. I must be getting dementia ... can hardly remember anything anymore.