The Palestine Exchange

     It was before dawn on Saturday when a crack team of five Israeli security officers entered a Jerusalem detention center.  Using surprise and deftness, the Israeli team apprehended a very drowsy prisoner, taped his mouth shut, bound his hands, placed a white hood over his head, and quickly made their exit to a white van.  The prisoner was forced into the rear of the vehicle and joined by three of the security guards.  The other two guards entered the front of the van.  A driver was already in place, and the van's engine was running.  The van sped away from the detention center through the empty streets of Jerusalem until it arrived at the back of Arnold's Deli, one of Jerusalem's more popular kosher restaurants.  With the sun beginning to rise, the three security guards quickly removed their prisoner and ushered him into the restaurant.  Marwan Barghouti would be placed in a semi-circular booth with a security guard on each side and one directly across from him sitting in a chair.
     This quartet plus one would be Arnold's only patrons eating breakfast today, because this Saturday, like all the others, the restaurant was closed for breakfast to commemorate the Jewish Sabbath, which lasts until sundown,  Although the lights were on, Arnold's windows were boarded so that passersby would be unable to fathom that the restaurant was catering to a private event.  Inside, the pleasant breakfast smells, the aroma of fresh coffee and smoked whitefish, emanated from the kitchen and permeated throughout the dining room.
     Although Marwan was not in a position to talk, his sense of smell slowly began to crack his armor as thoughts shifted from survival to filling his empty stomach with delicacies that long ago were given up for prison.  The guards had spoken very little and he surmised they knew he spoke Hebrew.  Abruptly, his hands were untied and the hood removed.  He was staring into the face of Mohammed Dahlan, head of Palestinian Security on the Gaza Strip, and the brainchild of this prison break.  Dahlan let his eyes gaze upon the prisoner for what seemed like an eternity to Marwan. Then Dahlan not so pleasantly ripped the tape from his mouth.
     "Hello Marwan," said Mohammed.  "You look well.  Let's talk after we eat," and at that moment Jibril Rahoub, head of Palestinian Security on the West Bank, walked out of the kitchen carrying a huge tray of piping hot food, fresh breads, eggs, smoked fish, and spreads.  Marwan was as surprised as he was speechless and decided that Mohammed was right to eat first.
     "Give my compliments to the chef," Marwan spoke in Hebrew as he sipped his coffee and chewed his food.
     "Mine, too," said Jabril in English.