Al Quds (Jerusalem) and Nablus

Sunny and quiet in both Al Quds this morning and in Nablus this afternoon and evening.

Last year in October we could see a couple of Israeli soldiers on a rooftop a few buildings away from our hotel. There were none this morning. Walking around for two hours in Old Jerusalem this morning, I only came across a few soldiers by one of the gates that I passed. However, on the square overlooking the Wailing wall there were many soldiers, but they were mostly sitting and chewing the fat. The area of the Rock mosque was open to the public, but the waiting line was too long for my limited amount of time, so therefore I found a way through the basar that took me to about 75 meters from the mosque. Since I could not say I am a muslim, I was denied access to the grounds. It was peaceful there too.

Despite the calmness, the agitated calling from a loudspeaker this afternoon, and the sad summoning of the Nablusians to evening prayer from the nearby mosque, both revealed the pain that the people of Nablus are suffering right now. Yesterday's one dead young adult became two during the night, and today two young adults have also been killed close to another nearby Palestinian village and neighboring settlement turning the number of killed youths to four within two days.

None of these youths were students at Al salayyah boy's school, but when Zyad - my cultural mentor and liason in Nablus - and I walked in the souk (the basar), he met a cousin. One of the young adults was a good friend of his.

Zyad - who says hello to all his friends at Kongsgård and in Stavanger - spent several hours with me at the hotel preparing for the teaching project at his school which starts tomorrow at 8.

Things are all set, and ready to be taken away.