The bus companies in Palestine were privately owned. The Arab one in Nazareth, called, as you might expect "The Nazareth Bus company", was owned by the Jarjoura family. I soon became close friends with the youngest brother Naif, about my own age, who ran the main office.

One day while having coffee with Naïf, I told him of my experience with the ''marijuana '' at Sa'Sa, he laughed and said it was available everywhere, to prove his point he told a helper to go next door to the cafe and buy some, sure enough back he came with a small supply. I insisted he take it back, immediately. All I needed was the word to get around that the new "Traffic" was a Junkie!

The main office of the Jewish bus company, called "Egged Bus Company" was in the beautiful little village of Affula, which was in a large valley by the same name, about five miles from Nazareth. The road connecting them was unbelievably twisted and consequently called the Snake.

My friend Paul, the Manager of Egged Bus, called me one day and told me there were a number of trucks carrying loads of Arabs to a hospital outside town. This was against the law of course but Paul was really concerned with the loss of business for his buses. Next day I was outside the hospital and lo and behold, he was right, there were a few trucks breaking the law. As usual, I ordered everybody off the truck and got a body count.

It was my job to ticket the driver and make him drive off, leaving the passengers to make their way home as best they could. I often wonder how a single Traffic Officer can tell thirty or forty men to get off a truck and walk home from the middle of nowhere, and have them do it.

On this occasion as they were visiting a hospital, I was soft and gave the drivers tickets and let them continue with a warning. They were delighted and showered all kinds of blessings on me. I hope their blessings counteracted the other wishes I am sure were directed in silence at me.

After checking the trucks I started checking the Egged Buses, the drivers of which seemed to be enjoying the dilemma of the truck drivers. Surprise, surprise, most of them were in contravention of one law or the other, isn't everybody? Much to the bus driver's displeasure and the truck drivers delight, I gave a fair share of tickets to them, fair is fair.

By the way my friend was not too enchanted with my reaction to his complaint or my suggestion that "people in glass houses etc."