The Second Intifada still goes on

During The Second Intifada:

I lived in Jerusalem.

I saw two bombings.

I heard at least ten.

The city was blowing up every day.

I worked security and was expected to stop a suicide bomber if I encountered one, for 19 shekels an hour.

Many friends were shot and blown up.

I refused to stay home.

I left home not knowing if I would die that day, every day, for years.

I was hyper aware of everything and everyone around me for years.

I saw things no one should see. They stay with me to this day. There are times, like now, when I feel like it is still going on. I expect everything around me to explode.

We were blown up for years until the army went into Ramallah and Jenin and other places and they built a wall.

I lived downtown. I lived under siege. I survived. I was damaged. I relive it. And I go on.

I was treated in hospital for shock.

I am Israeli. We didn’t call it the Second Intifada. We just called it “The Situation.”

Every day is a situation. Every situation is a challenge. Thank God I was in the army.

I don’t like quiet. I don’t like white walls.

The Intifada still goes on in many of our minds.

Terror is war. It is for life. I carried wounded. I ran into the fire. I saw pieces of exploded car fly over my head. I heard cries of pain and fear. I lived horror.

I see things that would make people scream when I close my eyes.

The Intifada is still going on at times, in my mind. So do I.