Heavy winter snow storm adds to miseries of Syrian refugees in the Middle East

A heavy winter storm descended on parts of the Middle East yesterday, with snow forcing the closure of 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 snowstorm added to the burden for Syrians displaced by war and living in tents in Jordan's Zaatari refugee camp. Some tents collapsed or suffered damage, and streets were turned into large puddles of muddy water. Children walked through the puddles and helped clear snow from the roofs of tents. Syrian refugee Umm Raed said conditions in the camp were difficult even before the winter storm hit.

People in Jerusalem throw snowballs near the Dome of the Rock. Photo / AP
"This is the third snowstorm, many people live in tents, their situation is very bad," she said. "Look at the situation of the children."
By contrast, 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.

The Israeli desert towns of Dimona, Yerucham and Arad woke up to a layer of white. The Syrian capital of Damascus and surrounding mountains were covered with snow, and in neighbouring Lebanon, the snowstorm closed most mountain roads, isolating villages.
In the Jordanian capital of Amman, snow paralysed streets, and in Gaza, heavy rains were to continue through to today. In Egypt, strong winds and heavy rain shut down the Mediterranean ports of El-Arish and Damietta, where strong winds uprooted trees.