Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Thoughts on horrors of war as Israeli countryside speeds by

Friday, April 4, 2003 | 2:46 a.m.

HAIFA, Israel -- "A two-way ticket to Haifa, please."

"Are you a pensioner?"

"No, I have a job."

"Are you 65 or more? If you are, the fare is only half price."

"Yes, I'm more than 65, but I'm an American."

"It doesn't make a difference that you aren't Israeli. Let me see your passport.

"Yes, your ticket is half fare."

This conversation took place in Tel Aviv's central train station when I bought a ticket for Haifa. The comfortable train ride with big picture windows exposing a beautiful countryside was worth much more than the ticket cost. Like Israeli bus transportation, the train left on time and arrived in Haifa on time after three scheduled stops along the way.

I was going to sit next to a young soldier, but there wasn't room for his guitar and me. So I sat across the aisle with a studious looking lad who was more than willing to practice his English on me. He noticed that I was writing in a reporter's notebook and asked what my opinion was about NBC firing Peter Arnett? In reply, I told him that this wasn't Arnett's first problem in the world of journalism. A better question would have been why did NBC hire him in the first place.

There is a strike of public employees going on in Israel. The Union of Local Authorities is upset with the austerity program the government has put into place to meet the economic challenges facing this small country. These actions may slow down or stop the collection of garbage or stop some administrative services. As a visitor, I haven't felt the impact of the strike and also find few Israelis who are overly concerned about its effects.

What is happening in Iraq continues to be the lead story in newspapers and on television. Also the war in Iraq is the lead topic of most conversations the Israelis have with me. Several days before the first shots were fired, Gulf War II was the topic of most conversations.

When The Jerusalem Post newspaper headlines screamed, "Four US soldiers killed by Iraqi suicide bomber," I was jolted back to a conversation with a retired Israeli military officer. A week before the war started, he told me that our troops would face soldiers dressed as civilians and become targets of suicide tactics. "These attacks most likely will continue after the government surrenders," he added.

Following that prediction, we discussed what Israel's soldiers have learned about stopping vehicles -- this includes horses and camels -- at dangerous checkpoints. They learned the hard way that passengers must dismount at a distance and remove outer clothing to show they aren't armed with explosives before being allowed to walk forward. Critics have said this is an act of humiliation and causes embarrassment. Better that the other guy is humiliated than the soldier losing his or her life.

Israelis aren't the only people interested in Gulf War II. Palestinians in nearby Jenin have renamed Mosque Square to Na'mani Square. The suicide bomber who killed four American soldiers in Iraq was Ali Ja'far al-Na'mani. Now he has a place named after him in what some Palestinians proudly call their suicide capital.

Gazing out the train's window at a lush meadow makes it difficult to believe that some people with this kind of mentality are already planning more death and destruction for innocent schoolchildren and their parents.