U.S. Tourists Forewarned: In Israel, Beware the Terrorist Israeli Driver
Many snows ago when we lived in Israel , I drove our trusty Citroën “ station .” Not only did I drive, but Israel is where I learned to drive a stick shift. I will never forget stalling at a 5-point intersection (I think it was in the Emek Refaim neighborhood of Jerusalem), with El Busso-Biggo breathing down my neck to the right, and irate drivers in front, behind and on the side, screaming obsenities and honking at me—and I was so nervous, I couldn’t start the d---mn car! When I visited Israel in 2005 after twenty-four years being away, I was appalled at the driving; if anything, it had gotten worse, because of the increased congestion. I actually got behind the wheel once and tried driving in Petach Tikva onto the highway, but with poor signage and aggressive, honking and tail-gating drivers, I couldn't continue. I actually pulled over on the shoulder of the highway (I was lucky there was a shoulder) and told my son to take over (ok, I'm a wimp). Since then I have neve...