Apparently, a Jewish man, his Christian wife, and another woman went into the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. He started throwing firecrackers and panic ensued. Local people heard the explosions and commotion and ran to the church. The situation developed into a near riot.
It’s interesting to hear how this is interpreted here. The Palestinians whom I talked to about this referred to the man as a “Jewish terrorist”. The Israeli media talked about him as a man with “emotional problems”. I suspect it’s true that had this man been an Arab, he would have simply been called a terrorist. Such is the underlying tension of the people who live here.
On the other hand, I spent most of the morning in Bethlehem – an area controlled by the Palestinian Authority and had no problems. There were far fewer people pestering me to “come to my shop” or “do you need a guide”. Taxi drivers were polite, friendly, and gave reasonable fares for the trip there and back. I was a little nervous about being there on my own, but I had zero problems.
However, one very politely talked with me about how much most people in the Middle East hate George Bush and are upset about the daily killings in Iraq. He was quick to point out that they did NOT hate individual Americans, just what our country has done.
I would have mentioned that all these people are being killed by Moslems, but I’ve learned to never argue with a taxi driver about politics. We live in a complicated world and they live in a far more difficult one than I do.
Today was the Jewish Sabbath. I saw lots of Jews in just about every variety you can imagine walking about in their Sunday
Jerusalem and Bethlehem are places we read about in the Bible; ancient, historical places that remind us of Christmas pageants and seem unreal. But they are also living 21st centuries cities, with people who want all the things in life we do. The mix of old and new always amazes me. To actually live in the town that David took for his city, where Pentecost happened, or where Jesus was born boggles my mind. For the people here it is simply a part of the rich heritage of their lives that we can barely understand.
Again, some people pictures:
Soldiers patrolling outside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (seemed like there were more today).
Jews heading into the Old City.
Palestinian schoolboys in the grotto of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, crowding to touch the place where Jesus was born.
A Palestinian sitting in Manger Square.
An African pilgrim on her way to her tour bus with luggage.
Two Harindi (ultra orthodox Jews) young men standing on the top of the city walls.
A little blurry, but a Jewish man and son walking in the Jewish quarter.
Finally, the nave of the Church of the Nativity, re-built in the 6th century and standing much as it was then.
Amazing place. Thanks for looking.
