My friend, Father Murray, is going to school in the Palestinian side of Jerusalem. He just sent me this up date of what's going on there... thought you might be interested, and send prayers for peace.
V
As I write this, it is 10:45 p.m. our time, and I've just gotten in from a
walk up the street. For the last hour or so, I've been hearing the sound of
loud chanting, and so I thought I would just wander down the block, to see
what was happening. As you can imagine, emotions are running very high
here--it is the last night of Ramadan, and everyone here is very conscious
of the imminence of an announcement about Arafat's death--some are
predicting a funeral as soon as tomorrow, or perhaps on Friday (in Egypt?),
despite all of the assertions that he is stable. Anyhow, as I arrived at
the end of the street, I encountered a large parade (several hundred
people) marching down the street toward the Damascus Gate, all shouting
Arafat's name, carrying large posters of him, candles and Palestinian
flags. They all moved down toward the Damascus Gate, where a large crowd
had already gathered, and which seems to be a vigil-demonstration of
sorts--candles, chanting, at least some tears that I could see. It's a very
strange scene--all the local shops are open late for the last night of
Ramadan, and there are strings of holiday lights strung across the Damascus
Gate plaza, with people selling coffee and sweets. There are also lots of
posters of Arafat everywhere. As I walked back to the Ecole, I met several
dozen people, all moving in the direction of the Damascus Gate. There is a
real electricity in the air, as if something big is about to happen very
soon--whether that will turn out to be the news of Arafat's death remains
to be seen. There is also a very strong police presence around the Damascus
Gate.
It's getting late, and I'll be heading off to bed shortly, but there is a
definite sense of expectation (of the inevitable?), and I wouldn't be
surprised if tonight (or early tomorrow our time) brings the long-expected
news that Arafat has died in Paris. It will be interesting to see what
reaction that news will provoke here in East Jerusalem. I continue to pray
for peace and a smooth transition to a new leadership--please keep this
situation in your prayers as well, and if anything should change, I'll let
you know. And I promise I'll stay safe, and not do anything foolish!
Love and prayers
V
As I write this, it is 10:45 p.m. our time, and I've just gotten in from a
walk up the street. For the last hour or so, I've been hearing the sound of
loud chanting, and so I thought I would just wander down the block, to see
what was happening. As you can imagine, emotions are running very high
here--it is the last night of Ramadan, and everyone here is very conscious
of the imminence of an announcement about Arafat's death--some are
predicting a funeral as soon as tomorrow, or perhaps on Friday (in Egypt?),
despite all of the assertions that he is stable. Anyhow, as I arrived at
the end of the street, I encountered a large parade (several hundred
people) marching down the street toward the Damascus Gate, all shouting
Arafat's name, carrying large posters of him, candles and Palestinian
flags. They all moved down toward the Damascus Gate, where a large crowd
had already gathered, and which seems to be a vigil-demonstration of
sorts--candles, chanting, at least some tears that I could see. It's a very
strange scene--all the local shops are open late for the last night of
Ramadan, and there are strings of holiday lights strung across the Damascus
Gate plaza, with people selling coffee and sweets. There are also lots of
posters of Arafat everywhere. As I walked back to the Ecole, I met several
dozen people, all moving in the direction of the Damascus Gate. There is a
real electricity in the air, as if something big is about to happen very
soon--whether that will turn out to be the news of Arafat's death remains
to be seen. There is also a very strong police presence around the Damascus
Gate.
It's getting late, and I'll be heading off to bed shortly, but there is a
definite sense of expectation (of the inevitable?), and I wouldn't be
surprised if tonight (or early tomorrow our time) brings the long-expected
news that Arafat has died in Paris. It will be interesting to see what
reaction that news will provoke here in East Jerusalem. I continue to pray
for peace and a smooth transition to a new leadership--please keep this
situation in your prayers as well, and if anything should change, I'll let
you know. And I promise I'll stay safe, and not do anything foolish!
Love and prayers
