Well, the sun may not have shone all day yesterday but the rain stayed away. In the late morning I walked out to the lighthouse, just because I like to walk along the breakwater to the lighthouse, and also to see the waves breaking in spectacular fashion over the huge concrete blocks. The fishermen were back in force. It clouded over later but on the whole it was a good day.
Today also began bright and sunny. There is rain forecast for later but it’s always good to start with some fine weather.
Looking out of the hotel window I can see the old fort at the mouth of the river. To one side of it is an artificial pond with stepping stones across the water and a sort of mermaid, or at least a reclining female figure, statue in the middle. This morning I spotted someone wading about in the water. It was a bit early for drunken revellers and, besides, he had a bucket and was scattering something into the water. Fish food? I don’t remember seeing fish and the water is not really deep enough. Maybe it was some sort of chemicals to stop the water from becoming stagnant! I doubt that I’ll ever know.
I read that the White House has announced that Israel would begin to implement four-hour “humanitarian pauses” in parts of northern Gaza to allow people to leave. Images of the mass exodus showed many people evacuating on foot with their belongings tied to their backs, with some pushing wheelchairs and prams. The US national security spokesperson said the pauses were “a significant first step”. And I suppose “pauses” represent some kind of progress but where will all those people go? No promised land for the Palestinians!
Here’s something a friend of mine posted:
"Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, has described Israel’s decision to allow four-hour pauses in fighting as “very cynical and cruel.”
“There has been continuous bombings, 6,000 bombs every week on the Gaza Strip, on this tiny piece of land where people are trapped and the destruction is massive. There won’t be any way back after what Israel is doing to the Gaza Strip,” Albanese told reporters in Adelaide, Australia, according to the Associated Press.
“So four hours cease-fire, yes, to let people breathe and to remember what is the sound of life without bombing before starting bombing them again. It’s very cynical and cruel.”
(Guardian update)”
Back in the UK, the organiser of Saturday’s Armistice Day event at the Cenotaph has given his backing to a pro-Palestine march which is set to take place in London.
Richard Hughes, from the Western Front Association, a charity that holds a commemoration on 11 November for the casualties of the first world war, said his organisation believed in “freedom of speech”.
“I think a lot of people are trying to whip this up,” said Hughes, the association’s legal trustee, who is also responsible for organising the annual commemoration. “The police are not going to let anyone near the Cenotaph. We are a democratic organisation that commemorates those who fought for democracy, so free speech is important.”
Three cheers for common sense!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment