The Egyptian-Israeli prisoner of war exchange, delayed by the heavy snowstorm that blanketed most of Israel and Sinai earlier this week, was postponed again today because the Egyptians had not cleared their section of the road. It is hoped that the exchange can be resumed tomorrow. The exchange was arranged by the International Red Cross which is supervising the operation. Israel holds 4,500 Egyptian POWs while Egypt has between 10 and 15 captured Israeli pilots and marines.
Traffic in and out of Jerusalem moved normally today for the first time in more than 24 hours as roads were finally cleared of the heavy snow drifts. But sections of Galilee were still cut off and food had to be brought to outlying villages by helicopter. Druze tribesmen in the upper Galilee village of Reihaniev embraced the helicopter pilot who landed yesterday with bread.
The snow storm did not prevent a wedding from taking place on schedule. Rabbi Isaac Stein, of Safad, trudged five miles through the snow to an isolated village in order to perform the ceremony. No vehicle could get there. Said the rabbi, “it was a hard walk but a great mitzvah.”
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