OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — A heavy winter storm descended on parts of the Middle East on Friday, with snow forcing the closure of all roads leading in and out of Jerusalem and sprinkling Israel's desert with a rare layer of white. Snow also fell in parts of the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria as a cold front swept through the region. The Holy Land's ancient sites were picture-postcard pretty. Snow capped the golden Dome of the Rock, a Muslim site in Jerusalem, dusted the Western Wall, a Jewish holy site, and blanketed the Nativity Church in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. “It's a magic wonderland,” said Miriam Leibowitz, a Jerusalem resident, as she reached a snow-filled city park with her family. “In the middle of Jerusalem we felt like like we're in Switzerland.” Jerusalem municipality spokeswoman Brachie Sprung said 25 centimeters of snow were dumped on the city. Jerusalem's light rail tram service was shut down after two trams, making dry runs without passengers, were derailed overnight due to the heavy snow, tram spokesman Ozel Vatik said. – AP
