Bethlehem, Ma'an News Agency–Ma’an phone lines were busy with incoming calls from Ramallah complaining about power cuts and closed roads. Three cities - Gaza, Ramallah, and Jerusalem- did not withstand the latest storm. Officials in the three cities had announced that there was no need to worry: they saidthe badweather episode was under control and their municipalities, bulldozers, snowplows, staff and infrastructure were ready. But they all failed to provide inhabitants with appropriate and timely instructions to help them prepare for and face the storm.
In Gaza, the Hamas Government was helpless in face of the storm which was compounded by the blockade, power cuts and over flowing sewage. Gaza became a presidential concern then turned into an Arab concern when Qatar intervened- or so they said. But when nothing was done Haniyeh urged the Arab League to intervene.
This bad weather episode took Ramallah by surprise. Roads were shut down and many cars were stranded in the snow while Ramallah Municipality and Civil Defense crews failed to convince people to stay at home and to avoid using their cars in the early morning hours, which made matters worse. Inhabitants were frustrated by continuous power cuts and the Electricity Company’s failure to restore power.
The biggest surprise was in Jerusalem, where its Mayor Nir Barkat had said the day before the storm that everything was under control. He was seen checking snow plows and salt trucks while smiling at TV cameras and reassuring people.But the occupied capital was totally isolated from the world after municipal crews failed to re-open closed roads, leaving thousands of vehicles stranded.The biggest mistake made by both the Municipality and the Israeli Government was that they didn't issue timely instructions and warnings to inhabitants, relying on inaccurate weather forecasts.
The Mayor of Safed had to ask army tanks to re-openaccess roadsto the city, while airportswere forced to shut downdue to the storm. P.M. Netanyahu ordered army tanks to open roadsleadingto Jerusalem but to noavail.
The resilience of Hebron, Bethlehem and Nablus, which only witnessed ed power cuts, is laudable. Despite the heavy snow fall, the three cities passed this snow test successfully and no one lost his life in the storm.
Nature is more powerful than people, whether they be ministers, mayors or even Prime Ministers. You can hide but you can never escape from nature.