fugitive peace

One of the great things about working for a weekly is that I can usually avoid the press conferences, photo-ops, stake-outs and other feeding frenzies required of the purveyors of instant news. With Bush coming I’m especially glad. Here are some edited highlights from the schedule sent to the media (my emphasis added):

Tomorrow:

11:55 – Official reception at Ben-Gurion International Airport… entry via Terminal 1 by 09:00… MBU’s [ie, mobile broadcast units] to enter… by 07:00;

Thursday:

Meeting and Press Conference of the Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas with President of the United States of American (sic), George W. Bush… Press conference will begin at 11:30 a.m… All Press MUST arrive at the Press Gathering Point BEFORE 06.30.

Friday:

08:10-09:40 – Visit Yad Vashem…. Pool members at PM’s Jerusalem Office by 06:00

Not that the rest of us are going to have it easy. Jerusalem traffic has already slowed to about half its usual speed. Military choppers keep buzzing overhead in both Jerusalem and Ramallah. There are more guns around than at an NRA convention. People are avoiding making appointments for the next couple of days. Some who commute between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are finding places to stay overnight so they don’t have to make the trip. Some offices in Jerusalem have given their employees the time off; one friend who works for an international agency has been told to stay at home because of “security concerns”, though it’s not clear whether they’re afraid their employees will get caught up in a assassination attempt or run over by a speeding presidential limousine.

This had better be good.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 8th, 2008 at 6:54 pm and is filed under media, talks.