Riots all over

Jews occupy El Wad street

So there were massive riots all over the Palestinian Territories yesterday: in Bethlehem where a 13 yr old arab was shot dead, in Ramallah, Jenin and even in Jaffa which is part of Israel ... everywhere except Jerusalem. It was relatively quiet here. The barriers and security checkpoints have been removed and arabs are now free to enter the Old City but military presence is still very heavy. Like I said yesterday ... not even during the Intifadas have there been such drastic tactics to deal with arab terrorism. The houses of the arab killers (the ones that shot the jewish couple in Nablus last week) have been destroyed and the families cast out in the streets - it's collective punishment. Funny because those israelis who killed the arab family last month have not yet been caught nor will their houses be destroyed.

Name and shame

Jews have now occupied El Wad street, specifically in front of Sharon's House where the killings occurred. They have a sit in / pray in ... and by afternoon a large part of the street was occupied; so much so that police and soldiers had to cordon it off because any arab who passed by were beaten up. The time for revenge is obvious ... eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. The newspapers are screaming "Israel's Right wants blood in the streets". Arabs are scared and are staying indoors. The occupiers have started a name and shame tactic by placing boards accusing accomplices to the murders in front of arab shops. They accuse these shop owners for having witnessed the stabbings but did nothing to help the victims. In fact the public prosecutor is going to start a case on these "accomplices". Funny because when arabs were attacked by jews in Ben Yehudi Mall and at train stations last year - all caught on camera - jewish witnesses who did nothing to help the victims were not called accomplices and they were not charged for neglecting to help the victims.

Life gets so complicated here. As one frenchman said recently in an interview "This is such a sad place to live in".

Old City lockdown

Security check at El Wad
street

The past 2 days witnessed a draconian measure taken by Israeli Police. The Old City was in a total lockdown. No arab allowed into the Old City except residents and business owners. Not even during the 2 Intifadas was this measure ever taken. Security barriers  at every junction in the Old City, and every 10 meters are a dozen soldiers and border police. Damascus Gate was like a fortress. All entry above the cavea was blocked off. If you succeeded in getting through that, there was another security barrier at Damascus Gate itself. Then further down the road at El Wad street, another checkpoint ... and further down the road at Austrian Hospice and 3rd Station, another checkpoint. Though tourists are allowed to enter freely, sometimes the soldiers ask for passports.

Deserted streets: checkpoint
at Austrian Hospice/3rd Station

All along Via Dolorosa there are soldiers every 10 meters. People are afraid to make the Way of the Cross after the terrorist shot at tourists on Saturday. Residents shut themselves indoors and most shops remained closed. It was virtually a curfew.

Jews on the other hand have been trying to force themselves into the Muslim Quarter to attack arabs and burn their property. They had previously attacked arab workers down in Mamilla Mall. Right now a group of young israeli jews have camped outside Sharon's House where the murders took place. The mood is tense and I doubt any arab dare to walk pass there today. Much as I didn't want to go out, I had to make several trips to buy medicine and food. It was very uneasy. Newspapers are asking if the 3rd Intifada had started. I say it already did ... last year.

Terror attack

Ambulance carrying off
victims while I was stuck in
the middle of the chaos

Was just caught up in a terrorist attack. Was going to see the doctor for my asthma at 7.30pm ... reaching the Austrian Hospice when just a few seconds earlier an arab terrorist stabbed 4 jews and shot at tourists. The terrorist was shot dead by police but not before 2 victims had died. A 2 yr old baby was hurt ... I was just 1 foot away from the baby when police carried him away. Horrifying.

Police began cordoning the area and shooing everyone out ... the area stretched from the beginning of El Wad street through Sharon's House down to the 3rd Station. However the police ignored me and I was stuck in the middle of this cordoned-off area for some 20 mins. I had several asthma attacks that time. Then a soldier came and asked mw what I was doing in there ... I said I needed to go to hospital. He accompanied to the 5th Station just outside the cordoned-off area and told me to wait.

Body of terrorist covered in
white cloth (the white thing
\in the middle of the tunnel)

I waited for another 15 mins, with several other attacks of asthma ... then some other soldiers saw me. They took my arm and helped me walk further up the street as I was quite weak from asthma and arabs were throwing stones. Sat there for some half hour till I felt better. Ambulances and police kept coming into the area ... and soldiers threatened to shoot stun grenades at the growing crowd of arabs. Knowing it was impossible to get out of the place to hospital, I slowly walked up to the 7th Station and down Khan Ezzeit street toward Damascus Gate. Soldiers along the road told me the Gate was closed. Anyway I reached the foot of Damascus gate and stayed there, next to the little shop of Abu George. From there I could see the body of the terrorist in the middle of the road in front of the nargileh shop.

Sat there for over 2 hours while arabs gathered and got very agitated as they wanted to go to Al Aqsa Mosque to pray. Things got heated up and finally soldiers fired stun grenades to disperse them. I had to run for shelter into Abu George's shop. One of my regular pharmacist was there and asked if I was ok and needed medicine. I was feeling much better and had a drink from Abu George. There were also riots up in Damascus Gate and stun grenades and tear gas were also fired. I was caught in the middle. But it was a safe place.

Finally when the entry to Damascus Gate was opened (but El Wad street was still cordoned off ... municipality workers were washing the blood off the street) I took a long detour and entered the City through Herod's Gate. Got home at 11.30pm.

This horrifying attack comes less than a day when another jewish couple was killed near Nablus. There will be revenge attacks. Things don't look good.

Friday

Waving the 4 species at the
Wailing Wall

Yesterday night saw the dreadful murder of a young jewish couple, shot in the head while driving through Palestinian Territory. In the car were their 4 children, all alive. This vicious murder will provoke jews to take revenge on arabs but killings and burnings. While not trivialising the murder, I cannot but think of the jewish murder of the arab family that left parents and baby burnt to death last month. The murderers have not been caught yet.

Today Friday saw a lot of tensions int he Old City as Israeli police took drastic measures by locking down the Muslim Quarter to muslims going to the Al Aqsa mosque to pray. Men below 50 yrs were not allowed to enter. In protest the men blocked the streets along the Al Aqsa and prayed in the streets. Several scuffles took place and stun grenades fired. I think tonight there'll be violence behind our house, as was the past few days. Another sleepless night. Mind you we living here are tired of these riots. It's the few trouble makers who're making life difficult for everyone.

Jaffa Street is packed with
people enjoying the festivities

Meanwhile the jews continue celebrating Sukkoth. Nothing is going to stop them. Men carry for the 4 species and wave them in the 4 corners of the earth during prayers. The 4 species are the date palm frond, a branch of myrtle, a branch of willow and an etrog which is a huge tasteless lemon.

In the New City, the night are packed with street markets, street performances and food. It's very festive but one thing is very obvious - there are no arabs in the streets. The tension between the 2 races are reaching a peak. Life in West Jerusalem during Sukkoth is full of fun. Kids carry balloons given free at street corners. But in East Jerusalem, the streets are empty as arabs stay indoors while soldiers patrol in groups of 5 or 12. There's an unspoken curfew.

Priestly Blessing

Jewish priests blessing the people

Today is the 3rd day of Sukkoth ... the day the Jewish priests, descendants of Aaron, come to the Wailing Wall to bless the nation. Thousands of jews and some foreigners came to the event. There 1st blessing was to take place at 9.30am and the 2nd at 10.30am after the relevant morning prayers.

I went early as I knew it would be packed and I won't get a good place. Also my jewish friends were there ... not for the blessing but to work as security. The blessing was late ... almost 9.50am. The cantor called hazzan called out sonorously "kohanim" meaning "priests" and all the priests, having washed and purified their hands and feet, gathered along the Wailing Wall with prayer shawls covering their bodies, raised their hands and sang the blessing of Aaron form Number 6:24-6.

Arab and Israeli police scuffle
photo from Haaretz

Though I go for the blessing every year, it never fails to strike me. It's very profound, very ancient, very surreal. An ancient ritual which took place 2000 years ago when the priests use to bless the people in the Temple.

But there was trouble on the way home. Arab women and students were waiting for the jews to leave the Wailing Wall and began harassing them, shouting insults and blocking the streets. Police had to come in and separate the jews and arabs. Later more arab demonstrations in the streets tough nothing violent. Nevertheless several people were arrested, including jews who attacked arabs.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.678063?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook

Bro Denis, our longtime teacher at my secondary school, died last night. A french canadian Gabrielite brother who spent his entire life in Singapore as a teacher. Great man and missionary. RIP

Meantime the eclipse of the super moon 2 nights ago is causing zionist christians great fear ... superstitious and lacking any theological formation, a spirituality based on superficial reading of the bible and blind zionism, they now think the eclipse is the end of the world. Good for them.

Mid-Autumn Festival

Last night's full moon
over the City Walls

2nd Day of Sukkoth and the nights saw running battles in the neighbourhood behind my house. This morning going out to Herod's Gate I saw the street ("Herod's Gate Ascent" of course) with rocks and broken bottles strewn everywhere and the street reeking with tear gas. Strangely during the day it's very peaceful ... and it's in the Territories that riots break out, like the violent one today in Ramallah. http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Clashes-erupt-in-West-Bank-following-Temple-Mount-confrontations-419394

Empty piglet baskets and
a pot of chinese tea

I don't have much time to follow these riots, though I'd love to ... because I have lots of work to do. Instead today I was at the Media Centre where I once was the director, to edit a news clip. Have lost touch with the editing process ... The present director told me that I have to come back and work one day a week because I produce and direct very good programmes. Maybe I will .... if I have free time.

The Mid-Autumn Festival passed quietly ... I think I was the only one to celebrate it .... there's a chinese sister next door and a korean sister further down the road but I don't think they celebrated anything. I had piglet cookies and chinese tea. Hmmmm forgot to invite the 2 sisters over.

The moon was still full yesterday and quite lovely. The night wind was cool, about 23 degrees. Sitting out on the terrace was pleasant ... except for the rioting downstairs between arab youths and Israeli police. There were lots of fireworks and firecrackers ... which could be joyful on such an occasion ... if they were not used as weapons against the police.

Total eclipse of a supermoon

Full moon over the Mt. of Olives

A night of clashes and running battles in the Muslim Quarter. The rest of the City was very quiet though the Jewish Quarter was awake all night with the Sukkoth celebrations. Way into 3am I could hear the Jews at the Wailing Wall blowing the shofar (ram's horn). Arab youths barricaded themselves inside the Al Aqsa compound, vehement against the entry of Jews into the area.Inevitably clashes occurred and this morning the Israeli police did a rare thing by actually raiding the Mosque compound to capture the muslim youths or trap them inside the mosque itself. The fighting spilt out into the streets where I live. At 7am there were huge explosions behind our house; arabs were shooting fireworks and throwing stones while police fired tear gas and stun grenades. It wafted into my room and I couldn't breathe. Decided to move out to my workplace up north of the City to avoid anymore tear gas. My asthma is bad enough.  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.677830

The little dot of light in the
middle is the "diamond" before
the moon went out totally

It was the autumn moon and it looked enormous. But at 4am the total eclipse began. I watched it for an hour till it virtually disappeared ... with the final "diamond on the ring" moment. Then the eclipsed moon glowed blood red in the earth's shadow. It was amazing. The next a full supermoon is eclipsed totally will be in 2033. I'd probably not be around so it was good I caught it last night. Took many photos of it but they didn't turn out good.

There's something seriously wrong because despite my daily medication, the asthma has worsened these last 3 days. It's like I'm not taking any medicine at all. Yesterday I blacked out because I couldn't breathe. Lucky I was next to my bed so I didn't hit my head on the ground again like the last time. Maybe it's time to see the specialist again.