09 March 2003

I was a collector of antique furniture. I had gotten a line on a beautiful desk from the peak of British colonial power, dating back to the late 17th century. But it had been transfered to what is now the West Bank during the British Mandate. I learned that the desk was in a building that was going to be bulldozed within the next 24 hours; I had to get into the West Bank and retrieve the desk before it was destroyed. When I got there, though, it had been so damaged by rain and other weather exposure that I wasn't sure I'd be able to restore it to usable condition.