Pressure and Hamburgers
Following pressure from US, Allenby border crossing opens 24/7.
(Jerusalem Post 10 Nov 2022)
I decided to visit the US. I had heard a lot about it but could not believe it was as bad as the reports made out; they must be mistaken.
Late one afternoon, I made my way to the US consulate in Tel Aviv. To my astonishment, it was closed. Yes, this important service is only open from 08:00 to 18:00. It should, of course, be open 24/7. Perhaps we should put some pressure on the consul; he needs to get his act together.
To cheer myself up, perhaps a large hamburger would be a good bet. A glance at the website of a local burger bar was not encouraging – it closed as early as 22:00. While there would have been no ham in the hamburger, some pressure on the manager might have helped.
(Yes, I know that hamburgers came from Hamburg and have nothing to do with ham.)
At least the hamburgers did better than the trains in the United States. Trying to move on from Chicago I went to the train station. Amtrak, as they called themselves, were pleased to offer a once-a-week service. A bit of pressure on Amtrak would not go amiss. I was forced to rent a car and join the rest of America on their rather poor roads.
If you want a hamburger after the sun has gone down, you won’t find one at London’s Heathrow airport. Taking a late-night flight home, I found myself surrounded by closed cafes and bars. Perhaps the US has some spare pressure they could use.
And why, I wonder, is the US so interested in our border crossing? Don’t they have enough to worry about at home.