Tick tock
Back in one piece. Lots of photos; I'll post those, and some attempt at a coherent narrative, once I'm less jet-lagged.
Also coming up in the future, some notes from the recent trip to Jordan.
However, there have been some very important political developments in the Middle East in the past few days that AFAIK the American press hasn't really picked up on, so they probably bear note here. The short version is that we may be on the near verge of a serious civil war among the Palestinians, and the upcoming Israeli pullout from Gaza may trigger even more complications. Things should be coming to a head over the next two months. Even at the best, the peace process is likely to completely fail in the absence of any central Palestinian "side" which can meaningfully participate in negotiations.
( DetailsCollapse )I'm too tired to write more, but if I don't get this posted now I'll never get around to it. So short version: Israel's pullout from Gaza in two months should lead to a big flare-up; Israeli politics are being pulled far apart by this, and lunatics may try something drastic to prevent progress. Meanwhile, the Palestinians are sliding uncomfortably towards a civil war, and Gaza is still separating out into Hezbollah control and Iranian influence. Expect lots of "excitement" starting in about one month, give or take.
How serious is it? Well, we'll find out soon. The situation on the Palestinian side is damned serious, because it means that peace is basically out of the question for the foreseeable future, on the scale of decades or more barring unforeseen circumstances. But Israel is working towards decoupling itself as much as possible from this. If things go on the good side, Israel could remain a decent place to live, but the PA is going to degrade quickly, and not because of anything Israel is doing.
(I've got some notes on possible projections, but I'm far too tired to edit those into postable shape - damned jet lag)
