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July 8, 2010

Over four years have passed

since Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Hamas near Gaza.

Today Jerusalem was ready for large crowds.

Signs were posted

around Paris Square.

Even the flowers were secure

nearby in Independence Park

where red police tape closed the road to traffic.

In Paris Square there was one reminder of Jonathan Pollard,

but today was all about Gilad Shalit.

Traffic was snarled for hours as the Shalit family and supporters marched toward Jerusalem.

Following speeches in Independence Park, Noam and Aviva Shalit walked the last few meters

toward the tent erected near the Prime Minister’s Residence where they plan to stay until their son is released.

 Gilad Shalit has not had one visit by the International Red Cross in more than four years.

Zachary Baumel has been missing since June 1982 with no reported visits by the International Red Cross.

How many people around the world even remember the name of this missing Israeli soldier?

 

 

 

Many of Jerusalem’s residents travel in the summer,

  the Prime Minister has gone to Washington, DC, so the sirens of his grey entourage are silent.

Visitors have arrived from around the world,

so the streets might be quieter and less crowded during rush hours,

but plenty of tour buses and rental cars

and construction sites go all day.

 New traffic signs showing new traffic patterns

 are confusing drivers, whether they are familiar and unfamiliar with the area.

One wrong turn and you can end up stuck in a cross walk waiting for a tow truck.

Protest signs about the construction freeze

and new signs for Hamas to release Gilad Shalit are meant to attract  attention.

While any day is a good time to have a picnic,

 both the Canadian July 1st  and the United States July 4th celebrations, with their picnics and fireworks

 were hardly noticed this year.  A magic show was held for kids on July 4th

in the new AACI auditorium, sponsored by the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel.

There are the traditional ways to keep cool,

as plenty of watermelons are available.

 

Inside the Machane Yehudah Market, the Shuk,  old stalls or new shops are cool even on a sunny afternoon.

Air-conditioned Malcha Mall is a popular summertime favorite.

 

Carrying your jacket and hat must make it a bit cooler too.

A free sample of a new ice cream product from the Nestle company was extremely popular.

The Jerusalem Film Festival

has over 70 films

from around the world.

Air conditioned theaters

offer a good place

to be on a hot afternoon

or evening.

Trying to keep children busy and safe during the summer days is always a priority.

Normal days and regular activities are not headline grabbing,

but they do happen, even in Jerusalem,

and then there are the summer nights …

                        

 

 

     

        The blue, black, and white flag of Estonia

        was up during the visit of its President

        Toomas Hendrik Ilves, but probably

        more people were aware of the flags

        of the countries playing in the World Cup

        in South Africa, as soccer

        fills the air waves and the minds

       of all sports fans.

 

 

Thursday evening outside in Kikar Safra, basketballs were going up and coming down,

                    while inside at the Jerusalem city council meeting,  it seemed that just tempers were going up.

 

  The mayor called for a recess, 

which gave Pepe Alalu time to move around and others to network.

When the meeting finally returned to Mayor Nir Barkat’s agenda, 

the loud objections of Meretz’s Pepe Alalu to the King’s Garden development project filled the room.

Development and construction seem to be everywhere in Jerusalem;

 building cranes can be seen in all directions.

                                        School is out                                            

  and children are on the streets.

Wednesday was the last day of classes and

 sadly it seems the end of Ulpan Mitchell, a favorite site for new residents to meet and learn Hebrew.

 

 

    With temperatures up

    and vegetation dry,

    the chance of fire is

    great. A major fire

    filled the skies with

    smoke and caused

    serious damage

    in the Beit Shemesh

    area near Jerusalem. 

 

         

While there is no regular air traffic over Jerusalem,

  Wednesday afternoon several helicopters were in and out of the Knesset landing pad. 

Special Envoy George Mitchell was back in town.

Surely he noticed the growing protest over the more than  four-year captivity of Gilad Shalit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow ribbons are popping up in many places.

What does not seem to be up is the voice of the International Red Cross,

which has not been allowed to visit him once  in over four years of captivity.

 As pressure is put on Prime Minster Binyamin Netanyahu to meet Hamas demands to release mass

murderers, where are the human rights organizations and the United Nations Human Rights Watch?

 From around the world, people came to Jerusalem for June weddings,

each ceremony was filled with hope and the promise of new beginnings.

Look up and beyond the couple under the wedding canopy,

 up to the walls of the Old City that look like they really are made of gold.

For centuries people have prayed  for the welfare of Jerusalem,

again in these depressing times the promise of the future still brings hope.