A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
Jerusalem in Summer 2005

The Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall in Jerusalem is packed each night. On Emek Refaim Street, the restaurants and cafes are completely filled. While there are quite a few tourists, most of the revelers are Israeli. Many Arab families, some in which the women wear the traditional Muslim hijab, are also among those enjoying the Jerusalem nightlife.

I have been in Jerusalem almost every summer over the last decade, and at least for now, things clearly are back to the way they were prior to Yasser Arafat's launch of the Palestinian terror war in September 2000. It's not just the large crowds, but the sense - hopefully accurate - that it's safe to go out.

Will things be this way after Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and northern Samaria, or will, G-d forbid, frequent terror attacks return? Only time will tell whether Jerusalem in Summer 2006 and beyond will look as it does tonight.
posted on 7/31/2005