DODGING A BALLISTIC MISSILE AND OTHER STORIES: AN ISRAEL DIARY

Nightlife is busy. Eateries are overflowing. But the yellow ribbons and posters saying 'Bring Them Home Now' are ubiquitous. The reference is to the around-100 hostages that the Hamas still has in its custody.

- JOYEETA BASU

A diary on Israel must begin in Ethiopia, courtesy Air India. Air India's direct 6-hour flight to Tel Aviv from New Delhi has been suspended since August by the chicken-hearted carrier for fear of war. So most travellers have to reach Israel either via the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, or via Dubai. Via Ethiopia it's a 15-hourlong haul, with the layover being almost five hours. Addis Ababa's Bole airport is Chinese built. It is swanky, but also sleepy. Like most of China's BRI projects, this one too appears to be a white elephant. The Chinese have left their imprint all over the airport, with every sign, every board having Chinese lettering along with English and Ethiopia's local langue. China won't let anyone forget that they built it. It's just that the television at one of the restaurants at Bole keeps playing Hindi music videos-the only music wafting through the terminal throughout the near five hours that this writer spent at the airport. It is almost as if the Chinese have built the airport so that Ethiopians can play Indian music.