Tremor shakes holy land

By: Ahmed Hammadi

AL-QUDS: An earth tremor shook the Holy Land Wednesday scattering Israelis and Arabs in panic. Israel said the epicenter of the quake was at the north of the Dead Sea and that it measured about five on the Richter Scale.

Cracks were spotted in Israel's Knesset parliament building after a session was suspended because of the tremor. Damage was reported to buildings in the West Bank city of Nablus and a Lutheran church in Bethlehem.

“We have not seen such a strong tremor here in recent years,” said Infrastructure Minister Yossi Paritsky.

The tremor was felt in neighboring Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria. The Dead Sea is about 13 miles from Held Jerusalem.

Fearing further shocks, people ran from offices, homes and schools in Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian cities. High-rise buildings were evacuated in Damascus.

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