Veering wildly from the original Observer blog remit - to report from the newsroom - this is a post from the road. The Middle Eastern road. Israel to be precise. It is a bit early to divulge what brings the Observer internet editor to this part of the world - journalist in cards-close-to-chest shocker! But once a blogger always a blogger. I had to share some thoughts at random on being back on the road. It's been a while.
Israel, I have come to understand, is a dangerous place. But not for the obvious reason. Personally I've had no exposure to the extreme security situation, unless you count being diverted at the airport only momentarily by a helpful gentleman in plain clothes who was curious to know about some of the more exotic stamps in my passport. But then, a stay in Iran raises eyebrows at passport control in quite a few countries.
But no. It is not terror that is the obvious danger. It is the roads. Driving in Israel, it turns out, is a contact sport. Or at least it is a sport that is played as if the goal is contact. This comes as something as a shock to a lily-livered British-style driver who stops at pedestrian crossings and overtakes on the outside after signalling and commits other such acts of roadly naive cowardice.
The car horn in Israel is as much an implement for steering as the wheel. Who hoots first gets through. I have clocked people driving with one hand permanently poised over the horn the way that racing drivers grip the gearstick in anticipation.
Oh, and another traffic novelty - one-way systems mean you can only go forwards one way. But no-one ever said anything about going backwards. Can't go down this road? 3-point-turn, into reverse and away you go. Genius.
There will be more meaningful insights into this fascinating country at some point in the future.
Meanwhile, an observation on the UK from afar. I just clocked the de Villepin-Blair press conference live on TV. It looks like the main news lines in Britain will be contrition over the death of Jean Charles de Menezes and perhaps some of the comments about Iraq (Blair: Terrorists will use it as justification but the roots of their evil ideology are elsewhere).
But an interesting aside from the very end of the presser was Blair's answer to a question about the case of Rashid Ramda, the Algerian man fighting extradition to France, where he is wanted in connection with a 1995 bomb attack on the Paris metro. His extended sojourn in the UK has been a cross-channel diplomatic sticking point and a component in the whole 'Londonistan' argument.
Blair gave out the usual line in these circumstances - that these things are a matter for judicial process and not within the power of politicians to decide by fiat. But, he said, he himself raised the subject with M. de Villepin and expressed his hope that a just outcome could be reached speedily.
Reading between the lines I'll warrant that means - 'ok, we take your point now. You can have the Algerian guy. Now I'll show you my list of terrorist suspects if you show me yours.'
Just a hunch. As I say, I'm not in the newsroom right now.
