The wind intervenes

Middle Eastern weather is complicating Obama’s travel plans: Heavy winds and clouds of dust in the air now mean he might not be able to fly as planned by helicopter from Bethlehem to the airport to board Air Force One.

This, in turn, means that the country’s most important road, the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, is set to be closed to traffic from the early afternoon to allow Obama to proceed by convoy to Ben-Gurion International.

Heavy traffic is expected as a result in and around Jerusalem, where residents beset by days of disruptions seem to have decided that it was nice that the president came but that it would be even nicer if he left around now.