Friday, July 28, 2006

You always listen for the second siren and the helicopters

There was a shooting tonight in Jerusalem, actually not to far from where we live. Apparently a Palestinian youth shot and slightly injured two border police in the Jabel Mukaber neighborhood.

We knew something was up because we heard a bunch of sirens, and I saw several heading towards Nof Zion, a new settlement just down the road. I have been watching the settlement go up over the last year. When I got here, all you saw was an odd curve to the wall/separation barrier just down the road from the Prominade and the UN Government House. Now there are apartments there and a pretty substantial checkpoint. What I didn't know was that the settlement is practically in an Arab neighborhood, Jabel Mukaber. I knew another Arab neighborhood, Abu Tor, was nearby.

Anyway, soon I saw the helicopter out with its search light going around that area (I can see part of it from my balcony) and I saw flashing lights going all along the barrier. Finally I found the story about the shooting online. They killed the Palestinian shooter, but were still looking for accomplices. I imagine they still are, since I still hear the helicopters.

There will never be peace here.

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