The first heavy snowstorm in six years blanketed Jerusalem on Monday, closing schools, stranding motorists and drawing families outside to show children snow for the first time.
``It looks like cotton!'' exclaimed one little boy as the train from coastal Tel Aviv approached the snow-covered hills.
Tel Aviv received only hail and heavy rains during the overnight storm, but more than a foot (50 cms) of snow fell in the holy city and other hill areas of Israel and the West Bank, as well as parts of Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
A carnival-like atmosphere prevailed in Jerusalem. Delighted children used plastic bags as boots and adults cleared doorsteps with rubber squeegees.
Heavy snow closed mountain roads and caused power outages in Lebanon and Syria. In Jordan, more than 6 feet (2 meters) of snow fell in some areas, stranding drivers and closing airport runways. Blizzards in western Iran stranded hundreds of motorists.
In Jerusalem, most schools and businesses were closed. The army canceled field exercises, and Israel radio offered tips to drivers unaccustomed to snowy roads.
Because the city doesn't have snowplows, workers used bulldozers and earth movers to clear the roads.
An announcer on Israel's Channel 1 TV gleefully held up a handful of snow to show viewers the real thing.
In the streets, people picked their way around snowdrifts, cameras in hand. Snowball fights broke out. Some tourists built a snowman in the shadow of Jerusalem's Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site.
``In the Bible, in the Psalms, when David says `white as snow,' I always wondered how he knew what snow was like,'' said John Vest, visiting from Florida. ``Now I know.''
At the Israeli checkpoint outside the West Bank town of Ramallah, two straight-faced Israeli soldiers stopped Arab drivers _ then broke into grins and lobbed some snowballs.
The snow cut power, water and telephone service in some areas of Israel and the West Bank.
``Our country is not made for this kind of weather,'' Nabil Mazbar said as he shoveled the sidewalk in front of his Al Bireh home. ``If it rains two drops, the electricity goes out.''
Voice of Palestine radio broadcast emergency numbers while playing a well-known Arabic tune called ``It's Snowing.''
``The little flowers are cold, and the sheep are having a hard time,'' singer Fairouz warbled.