a bit too close to home - this is copied and pasted from my dads status two nights ago.... Last night - on my way home from my work in Jerusalem ( i finish work at midnight ) as I approached a junction about 5 minutes from my home in Maale Adumim - on a dual carriageway the car in front of me came to a sudden stop - those of you who have experienced Israeli drivers may see nothing unusual in this, they are the worlds WORST drivers in my opinion. I was suddenly aware of blue flashing lights heading towards us In the darkness - it was a Border Police vehicle which had stopped the oncoming traffic - within seconds ( about 200 metres away ) there was a loud explosion and the sky lit up - at the junction ahead, three buses had been attacked with molotov cocktails and had exploded into flames. I ( along with many other drivers and their passengers ) got out of our cars to see exactly what was going on - the night sky was filled with smoke and an acrid smell - then we heard a series of short sharp bangs - it could have been shots or it could have been firecrackers - we didnt wait to find out. We all retreated to the relative safety of our vehicles - the female Border Police officer ordered us to turn our vehicles around and drive back the way we came - this was not so simple as there was a large amount of vehicles assembled behind us and we were on a dual carriageway with a metal fenced central reservation - but we managed. Once we were back on a safe road I was aware of a tremendous amount of both Regular Police and Border Police vehicles buzzing about the roads and I also realised that my alternative route was going to take me close to East Jerusalem - an area that had seen full scale rioting for most of the day. I drove with my doors locked, my windows up and my sun glasses on ( in case rocks were thrown at the car ) I also rehearsed various scenarios should I find my vehicle under any sort of threat - thanks MITIE for the defensive driving course all of those years ago ! I arrived home about one hour later than normal with no further adventures experienced. Today, I have a couple of observations to share with you - for those of you who feel prone to criticize Israel and its actions ( which I accept, are not always right or clever ) please remember that we are in a war zone, surrounded by sworn enemies who wish SIMPLY to destroy us and our land - not only surrounded by enemies but with a large amount of those enemies living within our boundaries - living and working amongst us ! I have often made comparisons between our situation in Israel and that of my good friends in Ulster - the incident that I talked of earlier might even seem like small fry to those who have lived through the NI troubles but now - I am experiencing it first hand and it is not a pleasant feeling. Finally, I want to pay tribute to our brave police officers - yes, like many police officers in may countries they can be ares holes but .... here in Israel - when they put on their uniforms - they may as well have a target painted on them - even our bus drivers are targets - and with their spirit and the spirit of the vast majority of my fellow citizens - we shall prevail and we shall never surrender !
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 10:15:18 +0000
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