It’s funny, I have only had guns pointed at me in two places: once in Guatemala I was mugged at gunpoint by police (stay out of Zone 1 in Guatemala City). The second time was in Israel. An Israeli Defense Forces guy with no badge or identifying uniform accosted me at the airport in Tel Aviv and stuck a gun in my face. Some Israelis say “you must have been doing something wrong” but I can assure that I wasn’t. On another occasion, in Jerusalem, an IDF guy with an Uzi (which BTW was invented by Israelis who IMO make the most effective weapons) made very threatening gestures. I don’t think I was ever so scared of other people in my life as when I was accosted by these armed and seemingly madly militant, control-freak Israelis. On the same trip I went to Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon, and felt comfortable, safe, and even welcomed by the locals (Muslims, Arabs, Christians) who all knew I was American.
Before I went there I had a tendency to favor the Israelis, seeing them as victims of terror in this ongoing fat’wa. Now I’m wondering how much of it is perpetuated by Israeli abuse of innocent people (like me).
Edit: BTW people in Israel are armed like you wouldn’t believe. Grenade launchers, Desert Eagles, P90s, and so on. I couldn’t go to a cafe, a mall, a wedding, or anywhere without seeing dozens of people openly packing major heat. I’m not for or against gun laws, but their gear doesn’t seem to diminish the violence all that much.
