There is much in the news here that has ominous implications as Pat will share with you. I did want to begin this posting with some thoughts on the lighter side which reflect a change in feelings as a result of the cessation of the constant terrorist attacks which were the norm months ago.
First, a number of restaurants no longer have security people at the entrance. Major buildings like the malls continue to have people checking bags and packages at their entrances.
Second, Israel has a brand new terminal at Ben Gurion Airport outside of Tel Aviv. The facility is bright, with many windows giving one views of the countryside. There is easy access to baggage claim and parking, and the airplanes pull up to terminal jetways as at other airports. It used to be that upon arrival, planes would park on the tarmac and passengers would disembark and be bussed to the terminal.
More to follow, Frank
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Yesterday was a day filled with violence. On the northern border Hezbollah renewed its attacks on the IDF and a soldier was killed. There was a horrible confrontation between the police and some teen-aged settlers who had comandeered a Palestinian home earlier in the week. These young extremists viciously attacked a Palestinian teen-ager who was critically injured. The young extremists threw rocks until the boy was knocked unconscious and then they continued to pelt him with rocks and pieces of cement block. He was rescued by an IDF soldier -- all of this was on TV last night. In the morning they found that some radicals had poured oil on one of the ramps off a main highway and had scattered nails all over. About 20 cars got flat tires (some all four tired) and it's a miracle that no one skidded on the oil and caused a larger pile-up. To top it off, anti-pullout protestors blocked roads all over Israel during the afternoon commuting hours by lying down in front of traffic. Traffic was stalled for hours all over the country! Tomorrow Frank and I are driving to Jerusalem. I trust that because it will be Friday and these religious people will be getting ready for Shabbat, that we will have no trouble!

Today the army and the police closed off Gaza -- no one who is not a resident can go in. They hope that this will prevent the settlers from the West Bank who are apparently willing to do anything to prevent the disengagement from entering Gaza. Of course there are dire predictions about what will happen in August when the actual pull-out takes place. Last year at this time, and the year before that and the year before that and maybe all the years before that the concern was the intefada and the terrorists. Now the concern is all about the radical fringe on The Right and the disruption they are causing. There are many from the "Kach" party, which 20 years ago or more, led by Meir Kahane, were radical supporters of Israel active in New York. Radical in the sense that they advocated conquering the Arabs and either transferring them to some other country or killing them.

I found an orange ribbon on the street and surrupticiously (spelling?) picked it up and put it in my pocket. I was surprised to find that it was cloth, not plastic. Today I took a picture of it so you can see what it looks like. I hope I can figure out how to get it on the blog!!

Tomorrow we're off to Jerusalem, so I expect that we will not update this until after July 14th.
Till then, all the best -- Pat