Snow Follows Sandstorm in Mideast
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JERUSALEM — A rare snowstorm blanketed parts of Israel, the West Bank, Jordan and Cyprus on Wednesday, catching many by surprise just two days after sandstorms had covered towns and villages in a fine yellow dust.
In Israel, schools were closed, public transportation was paralyzed, and roads were blocked by trees downed by the storm, which deposited 4 inches of snow on Jerusalem. Eight inches fell on the upper Galilee in northern Israel, and 16 inches fell on Mt. Hermon in the Golan Heights.
A day earlier, temperatures had soared to 82 degrees in Jerusalem.
Snow also fell in the West Bank towns of Hebron, Bethlehem and Ramallah. In Ramallah, abandoned cars littered the roads and teenagers aided stranded motorists.
The Israeli Cabinet was forced to postpone a scheduled discussion on proposals to withdraw Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, an official in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
In Jordan, the government announced a public holiday in the largely desert kingdom because of the severe conditions.
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