I live, work and make music in Israel. Life here is becoming very difficult. People's nerves are frayed, but, as Mike says you live with the road blocks and security checks.You wonder where to go on the Sabbath- should you just stay cooped up in your house? Perhaps the countryside is safer- but how do you get there? You wonder whether to go ahead with the next Folk Festival- cancel and take a loss- but what if people stay away? But maybe they'll come- just to get away from things - who knows? /// Last night it was a cafe in Tel Aviv which was bombed- My son lives and works in Tel Aviv- sometimes as a waiter. When this happens about half the people in the country get on their cellphones and the system goes down- so you bite your nails for an hour or so.Then- God help us all- you think "well it wasn't my child" If you've any tears left after the previous time you cry for other people's children. This afternoon it was a restaurant in Haifa- Arab owned and staffed by Arabs- 15 people died- Jews and Arabs- The suicide bombers don't differentiate. some of the victims were of mixed Jewish/Arab families- and of course we know that that is a red flag to all fanatics. Has any other country ever faced such fanatics? In spite all of the silly Irish jokes- I can't imagine any IRA man either stupid enough or religiously fervent enough to become a human bomb. What other religion encourages an 18 year old girl to despatch herself and 20 other people to "Paradise" (Sorry the unbelievers go to Hell and only believers go to Paradise).

I fully concurr with everything Mike says. I am proud to be a Jew here. This is a democratic country- over 80% of its Arab citizens( according to polls) would rather live here than in any Arab country./// ( I'll do what Mike did). I am against the occupation- I believe we should leave the territories to their majority of Arab citizens and withdraw to the 1967 borders . Yet how do I argue with those among us who say "Then what? Did we have peace and security before 1967?- Did we heck! Did anybody ask the Arabs to declare war on us in 1948? We accepted the UN decision then- they didn't - so what do they expect? During the period between 1948 and 1967 cross border terror was a regular occurrance- so what else is new?"

It is very difficult being a peacenik here- you want to go and help the Palestinians- but the underlying nagging question remains " Will they ever accept a Jewish Israel here?" Personally I am not getting up and leaving- after September 11th - and what with what is happening in France now(3 synagogues burnt) I wonder whether anywhere else is any better./// I don't usually respond to trolling Guests- I believe that they are expressing barely disguised anti-semitism. I do however want to share with fellow Mudcatters some of the fears and deliberations facing me and 5 million other Israelis day by day. Instead of sitting in front of the TV wondering whether to watch BBCPrime Comedy night or to follow the endless shots of ambulances and blood- I prefer to sit in front of the computer and share my thoughts with at least some of you. If anybody wants to know more about how it is here at present I am at your service. I'll be out tomorrow though- going to a music festival! Happy Easter- Jack The Lad- in Israel