Cease Fire

The guns allegedly went silent 2 hours and 15 minutes ago. I was listening to the news this morning at 8 when it began, and even then, no one was all that optimistic. There was fighting right up to the moment of the cease fire, including Hezbollah sending a couple Iranian-made drones with explosives across the border. And even though the fighting has now stopped, both sides are still rattling their swords.

Haniyeh, the PA Prime Minister, is offering a truce with Israel as well. With all that has been going on in the north, the news has practically forgotten Gaza, even though the IDF has been stepping up their assault. But since Islamic Jihad hit Ashkelon this morning with one katyusha and one qassam rocket, there isn't a lot of optimism on that front either.

My A-100 Class

I found a link this morning for a friend's old blog. He did a great job of chronicalling our experiences in the 118th A-100. Now I can feel less guilty about not going back and writing all about that (it was in my old journal, on the laptop that was stolen).

Castel

Today we drove out of town a few miles to Castel on Mt. Moaz, the site of a major battle in the Israeli War of Independence in 1948. Basically, the Israelis took the hill without a struggle. Then the Arabs, realizing the strategic importance of a hill overlooking the main road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, fought to take it back. Essentially the Arabs finally took the hill, after a siege and 27 Israeli soldiers were killed. But after they retook it, the Arabs returned to their homes and the Israelis went back and took it again without a struggle. Having Castel helped enable them to keep supplies going to Jerusalem.

For me, M and our friend Tiffany, it was a nice chance to get out of town. M hasn't had a weekend off in forever, so she really needed the break. Plus, it was a chance for her to play with her camera. I'll post some pics to snapfish in a bit.

The view from the top was stunning, and a nice breeze and warm sun made it a really pleasant outing.

Easing a Little

As people here sort of settle into the idea of the war, post is easing some of the restrictions they put in place just after all the violence kicked up. Most of it doesn't now and didn't then affect me. For example, they canceled all travel to the West Bank. Now we are back to being able to go there if it is neccessary for our work here. But I never need to go into the West Bank anyway unless we have really important company from DC, so that doesn't affect me!

There are still some tensions here. While we are allowed to go into the Old City again (they told us not to for most of last week), I am not sure it is a good idea. A tourist from Italy was stabbed to death there yesterday by a Palestinian kid. They say the motive was nationalism and the IDF has already made arrests. All the same, I don't go to the Old City all that often and I don't think I will start now.

Another change is the shabbat siren. They normally sound off this siren at sundown to let observant Jews know that shabbat has officially begun. But the siren sounds like the air raid sirens up north. But we have a lot of refugees from the north down here, and the siren scares them. So tonight, they played music instead.

Jerusalem Gay Pride

World Pride was scheduled to be here last August, but they postponed it a year because of the pullout from Gaza. It has been going on this week, though quietly. You occassionally see the stereotypical white lesbian couple with their African American children, but that is the only hint that pride is afoot.

There was supposed to be a march. The police nixed it because they said it was too much to handle security-wise with the war going on up north (and in Gaza, though people keep forgetting that). So the organizers asked to have a "protest watch." The police nixed that too, even though they allowed a protest last week because of the anniversary of Gaza disengagement and even though they agreed to allow a protest of the "protest watch" that they were not allowing to happen.

The protest happened anyway.

I had heard it was going to happen tonight at Liberty Bell Park, but I had no idea where that was (and we aren't allowed to go to such things anyway because crowds are targets). But as I was driving home, I happened to pass it (so THAT'S what that park is called!). According to jpost.com, there were about 200 protestors and the police didn't break it up. It only got violent when some anarchists decided to join in (aren't they supposed to be in Seattle?). But in all, it was a successful protest, and the haredi (the ultra orthodox) didn't have a counter protest.

It was nice seeing the rainbows.

Super Deal

There is one grocery store on the west side that I like to shop in, Super Deal. It is about two blocks from my house, and it caters to Israelis from the West. I went last night to pick up some milk and salad.

One of the discomforting things about this place is the tendency of Palestinians to speak to those they perceive to be in positions of authority in Hebrew instead of Arabic. This is particularly true of Arab Israelis, who are legally full citizens of Israel but tend to be relegated to the jobs no one else wants. So much like in the states, where a bi-product of racism meant that you used to see only African Americans (and now Mexican Americans) doing jobs such as garbage collection or jobs in the service industry, here those types of jobs are held by Arab Israelis. Almost all of the road construction crews, fast food employees, etc., tend to be Arab Israeli. And they always address you first in Hebrew. (M went to Ofer Prison yesterday to watch their procedures, and Arab women wearing the hijjab were saying "shalom" to her. When she responded with the Arabic "marhaba (hello)," they beamed and responded "ahlain!" (welcome).)

It is no different at Super Deal. The cashiers and managers are Jewish Israel and the butchers and cleaners are Arab Israeli. For the longest time, they spoke to me in Hebrew. But I try to make a habit, when I know someone is Palestinian (contrary to what people here think, you can't "tell them apart" from Jewish Israelis) to speak to them in Arabic (or at least the five words I know in Arabic). So there is one butcher there, a young guy, that I always say hello to in Arabic and it makes him smile. But last night, the older butcher was there, and I wasn't sure if he was Palestinian or not. So I spoke to him first in Hebrew. And apparently I have shopped there long enough that they know I am not Israeli and will try to speak to him in Arabic. So when I pointed to the meat I wanted and said, "one please" in Hebrew, he said the word "one" in Arabic. Being tired and I bit slow on the uptake, I said yes in Hebrew. So he said to me "wahad is one." That is when I realized he was trying to teach me some more Arabic. You would never see him do that with the Israeli customers, many of whom are settlers (the one draw-back to Super Deal) and therefore pretty nationalistic.

Of course, I do know Arabic numbers (up to the number six anyway!), but I was pleased that he is comfortable enough with me to do that. And I thanked him in Arabic.

Great News (tongue firmly in cheek)!

It looks like there might be a break in the war!

I saw the Bird of Peace yesterday...

I saw a white dove yesterday trying to fly towards the Old City. But the wind kicked up and after trying unsuccessfully to fly against the wind, it gave up and flew away.

Possible Good News

As always, I am cautiously optimistic. But my boss today, the consular chief, told me that he was sending a cable via the CG (basically our Ambassador) to recommend me for the Op Center, the job I want in DC. This is really good news, and I think will really help my chances in terms of getting posted to DC. The DPO, second in charge here after the CG, said the CG is also on board with helping me get a desk position, maybe even the Israel-Palestine desk, back in DC if the Op Center doesn't work out.

So keep your fingers and toes crossed!

A Little Embarrassed

We had an award ceremony today, not one of the regular ones that happen twice a year, but a special one since we have had a lot going on.

I got two awards. One is an extra mile award for the work I did on the Secretary of State visit. That's pretty cool. But the second I am a little embarrassed to receive. It is a group Franklin Award for helping evacuate the American citizens from Gaza.

Basically, I did very little. I went and helped out on only one of three separate evacuations through the Erez Crossing. I did none of the background work. So it is sort of embarrassing to be on an award with folks like our ACS crew, who worked tirelessly (actually, they were extremely tired!) to do those three evacuations. Particularly, the special consular services folks in ACS were amazing. I only hope they get a bigger award at the regular ceremony, because they really deserve it.

Grumble

So according to my bidding rules, I can only apply for posts that don't require a full language course since I already got one (Hebrew). So places like Istanbul are off my list. I am going to argue that I should be allowed the top up in German, so I can still bid on Berlin, Luxembourg and Vienna, but they say you need a 1+/1+ and I scored a 0+/1. Maybe I'll retest. I am also going to argue that I am starting Russian in September and that I am a proven language learner (I got a 3/2+ in a hard language when they expected a 2/2).

Basically I really want DC, and I think I have a good shot at it. But I don't want to end up putting together a bid list of places like Lagos and having them send me there. Or rather, having them assign me there and me resigning.

Yay! Bid List!

First, a thousand thanks to my A-100 classmate, Jim Zix! Our bid list did indeed come out yesterday, and Jim was kind enough to mail a copy of it to me. Yay bid list! Yay Jim!

When I first looked at the list, I was a little dismayed. There are a TON of straight consular tours on that list. (To give you an idea, there were 26 pages of positions, a total of 435 jobs. When I removed all the consular tours, there were only NINE pages of positions!) And I am just not willing to do another straight consular tour. I will have done 27 months of consular work when I leave, most of it visa work. I want some other experience...in my cone (public diplomacy) or in political would be nice!

So I sorted out (removed) all of the straight consular positions, and then M and I removed the places we were unwilling to serve. That left me about six pages of places to consider. Then I sorted further to jobs that were in places I'd be interested in going or jobs I thought would be interesting. I think I counted 40 some. And I only have to bid on 25. So I think I am good. And of course, these jobs don't include the DC jobs like the Op Center, which I am allowed to bid on but is not on the list. So I think I am good to go and am pretty excited about the possibilities.

Top on my list: Berlin, Vienna, Luxembourg, Kiev, London, and The Hague. Geneva, Lisbon, Belgrade, and Istanbul are on my short list too. I think I can deal with that!

Bid List Blues

Our bid list is due out any day, practically any minute. I have heard from some sources it will come out today. Of course, it comes out on Washington time, so I checked one last time at 6 pm our time, but that is only 11 am in DC. Guess I will go in tomorrow to check and see if it did. I can't wait to see what the possibilities are...and I am also afraid to see what the possibilities are!

Your tax dollars at work

This is something we have been aware of here at the consulate for a while. Basically, you don't have to pay taxes to get a refund, even if you have never lived in the U.S. If you live overseas, you can make up to $80,000 a year without paying U.S. taxes (except if you work for the government, in which case you pay taxes on every dime). The reason for this exemption is because the U.S. assumes you are paying taxes to the country you are living in, and in most cases, those taxes are substantially higher than those in the U.S. But the reality is that most use it as a means to pay no taxes at all.

So some enterprising attorney here (http://www.xpatrefunds.com/site/default.asp) has decided to make a living off of explaining to families here, especially the large religious families, how they can get the earned income tax credit for children without paying taxes. These are often duel Israeli-American nationals who were born here or moved here at a really young age. They in many cases never registered their children as American until they realized they could get the money. And once they realized it, they have been registering their children in droves.

It is not uncommon here, especially among the religious families, to have 12 or more children. The husbands get money here in the form of stipends to study at yeshiva and the wives often work. They get extra money from the government the more children they have. So now they are filing taxes in the U.S., claiming the overseas exemption, and getting a check from the U.S. for $1000 per child. And they have never paid taxes in the U.S., and often have never even lived there. They identify themselves as Israeli, and will tell you they just get American citizenship and a passport for their children so they can get the social security card (which they need for the refund).

Your tax dollars at work.

All Quiet Today

There were no more demonstrations at post today, though there was a massive one last night. That was the huge one staged by the folks protesting the withdrawal from Gaza a year ago, and because they marched from Independence Park to the Western Wall, most of the roads in town were closed off. I missed a dinner for a co-worker's 30th birthday because there was just no way to get into town.

There are supposed to be some more protests and demonstrations throughout the week as the Israelis commemorate the destruction of the 1st and 2nd temples, some of them by going up onto the Temple Mount, also known as the Al Aqsa Mosque. Some Palestinians, in turn, have threatened to protest their presence there. Remember that Ariel Sharon going onto Al Aqsa helped start the second Intifada (at least according to the press, never mind that Arafat's security chief gave him clearance and Arafat had been planning the intifada for months and was just waiting for the right moment to declare it...but anyway). And the Israeli protestors are saying that this is proof that they will not give up a millimeter of dirt of the Old City. Sigh.

So because of all of this, we have been warned to stay out of the Old City and away from Salah Eddin Street on the east side until after Saturday. I pointed out that Post 2 is right between the two...the Old City is one block one way and Salah Eddin is one block the other, but they didn't buy my argument that this meant we should get the rest of the week off. Can't blame me for trying!

Sometimes I think both sides would rather see Jerusalem destroyed than in the hands of the other. Where is King Solomon when you need him?

One of ours was hurt

Several people were injured during the clash between the protestors and police today. When the police brought out the ones they arrested from behind the wall, they took them to some police vans just out of sight from where I was standing. I remember a woman yelling, "They're beating him!" I don't know if it is true.

Apparently the percussion bombs injure people too. I found out tonight that one of our surveillance detail was wounded by one. The surveilance detail people are the nameless, faceless folks that watch to see who watches us, and we depend on them for our safety without ever knowing who they are. I am told he is in the hospital tonight.

So that's how percussion bombs sound...

We had a demonstration in front of our building a few minutes ago. I estimated about 40 people were there, but the police say there were 56. The crowd was a mix of Americans, Israelis and Palestinians and it was a standard, American-style protest...lots of chanting and signs with slogans. I saw one that said, "I paid my taxes and all I got were dead children" (to which I cynically thought, "That's not true. You didn't pay your taxes"), and others that read "Smart Bombs, Idiot Leaders," "No to occupation," and "The US is a fascist state." The chants were a mix of English, Hebrew and Arabic, and I saw at least one sign in Arabic, but I couldn't read it.

The protestors were peaceful, and one even smiled and waved to me when I took some pictures from the balcony near my cubicle. But apparently they were protesting without a permit, so the Israeli Border Police decided to break them up (they have a station near us...we didn't call them). To break them up, the police ran through the middle of the crowd, forcibly dividing it in half. And when they ran through the crowd, tempers flared and I guess punches were thrown...they sort of pushed the crowd out of the way to behind a building, so I couldn't see what happened next. I hear yelling and could see some folks from the protest who had made it to point beyond the building where I could see them again, turn to look. Then suddenly there was some shooting and a bunch of percussion bombs were set off to disperse the crowd (they worked, the crowd scattered...and they succeeded in getting me away from the window as well, because they sound a helluva lot like regular bombs, or at least what I imagine regular bombs sound like!) I think all the shooting and bombs came from the border police, because I never saw any of the demonstrators with weapons.

When it was all over, the police had arrested four people. I saw that one of them was the guy who smiled and waved at me. What bothers me most is that they will blame the U.S., and all of us who were watching are serving partly because we believe so strongly in their right to protest.

A Little Tense

Things are getting a little tense here since the Qana bombings. Yesterday we went to Jafer's, a grocery store over in Beit Hanina, a neighborhood on the Palestinian side of town. I like the drive over there, because unlike Jerusalem, which has a sort of European feel to it, Beit Hanina feels more middle eastern. There is a bridge you cross under and suddenly you are in the Middle East. Plus, Jafer's is one just of my favorite places to shop because they carry a lot of western goods and are generally pretty nice. They seem to have a more western idea of customer service, meaning that they don't yell at you for shopping there. If you have shopped on the west side of town, you know how nice that is!

The place is normally packed, and most of the cars in front have diplomatic plates. But yesterday, the store was virtually empty, with lots of empty parking spaces in front. The owners of the store were friendly but seemed a little tense, and even I was a bit ill at ease. It is the first time I have ever been nervous there.

There are demonstrations scheduled for 7 pm in front of the main part of the consulate tonight, and we have all been advised not to have our cars there. The demonstrators are supposed to be left-wing activists, protesting the war I imagine. More demonstrations are on tap for tomorrow, this time from the settlers marking the one year anniversary of the pullout from Gaza, coupled with the Jewish holiday mourning the destruction of the first and second temples. In the meantime, I have noticed an increase in the police and IDF presence around town, something they always do when they are on high alert.

Forgotten Victims of War

Yesterday, a friend from work and I drove to Herziliya to look at dogs. He had been wanting a dog, and these puppies had been abandoned or surrendered by folks up north fleeing the fighting. The trip itself was an adventure...we kept getting lost and having to turn the heater on in his car to keep it from over-heating. But finally we managed to find the place, and he ended up taking two home with him, one a little chocolate ball that is about 5 weeks old and another blonde puppy about 3 or 4 months old.

Last night, while he was taking them outside, he apparently locked his keys and cell phone in his apartment. So he tells me he was outside in shorts and a t-shirt for FOUR HOURS waiting for mobile patrol to come by. Did I mention it is cold in the desert at night? He and the puppies huddled in a corner trying to stay warm. They probably wondered if this is what passes in America for a rescue! But he did finally get back in.

He rewarded their valor this morning by spending $300 at the pet shop on them. So now they love him. I am sure the pet shop owner does too!

The Crazy Guy Across the Street

I think I mentioned the guy who lives across the street from me, the one who thinks he is invisible if he has his prayer shawl on his head. He likes to walk around with his staff (looks like a curtain rod with a sharpened point on one end and an amulet of some sort on the other.

In a way, I feel for him. He is a retired music teacher and he lives in a run-down shack in a neighborhood that used to be filled with run-down shacks. But as Jerusalem has sprawled out into the areas that used to be just across the green line into the West Bank, expensive neighborhoods have cropped up around homes like his. And now he thinks we are all part of shin bet, here to spy on him. I'd feel for him more if he didn't follow me around pointing his staff at me.

He was out this morning, without his prayer shawl (which is how I was able to see him) but with his staff. I went into the little field that is between my building and his house (the Queen of England owns it...seriously) to let Noostie do her business. He came to the entrance and waved the staff at me, but I turned away and ignored him. So he walked across the street and started ranting at the Palestinian guys who do our building maintenance. He was yelling in Arabic (I had no idea he spoke Arabic)...I don't know much Arabic myself, but I do know "shu hatha" (what's this) and allah (God). He was waving the staff and asking if they knew what it was, and then telling them God spoke to him through it. Here's another word I know in Arabic: majznun. It means crazy.