Eoin Butler: writer, journalist and Mayoman of the Year
Tripping Along The Ledge
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“I’M NOT SURE WHAT THIS GUY’S PROBLEM IS, BUT HE’S POINTING AN AK-47 ASSAULT RIFLE AT ME, SO I PREFER NOT TO MAKE A FUSS…”
What stands before me is a scene of utter desolation: the chalk remains of roads, buildings and farmland, bombed and bulldozed beyond any recognition… Read the rest of this article here.
October 5th, 2009.
October 5th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Trying to macho up the blog again after that bell ringing article, eh?
October 5th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Pretty much, yeah!
October 5th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Really good article but did you really take that picture?
October 5th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
I took the photos that illustrate the article (most of them on my phone, as the Israeli army turned the photographer travelling with me away for some reason.) But the one one above? Jesus, no.
I did run into lots of Hamas gunmen – they were on practically every street corner – but I didn’t push my luck with them!
October 5th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Hamas gunmen!!! I’d have been terrified- where you scared?
October 5th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
@ Han Shan – No, can’t say that I was scared at any point. There was a truce on while I was there. So, realistically, the only risk was happening to be in close proximity to a car carrying a Hamas leader when it was hit by an Israeli drone rocket – which was highly unlikely.
Everyone I met – even the Hamas guys – were very nice. They don’t see too many Westerners there.
Interrogation by the Israeli army wasn’t scary, but it was very, very wearying. It went on for hours. They kept asking the same questions over and over, insisting I was lying, insisting (for example) that I’d spent time in Sudan when I hadn’t etc.