The last time I wrote a column that was critical of Israel, I was just about to get root canal treatment from a Jewish dentist – in hindsight it was a stupid mistake and I really regretted my timing. This dentist sat me down, said he was familiar with my newspaper work, and the next thing I knew I had 18 fingers stuffed in my mouth (I think the dental assistant was helping out, it was hard to see, there was a bright light in my eyes. Maybe the receptionist as well).
Eventually the dentist said, “Danny, I’ve found four damaged canals in one tooth. This is quite unusual. I think you’re going to need four treatments, HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!!!!” (He may or may not have laughed, it was hard to hear much, he was revving his drill to turbo-max.) Anyway, the whole thing turned into a nightmare: hours and hours of lying in that death-chair with my jaw hinged beyond snapping point and a rubber diaphragm jammed in my mouth which I’m not sure came from a dental supply store. And all the way through, I vowed to never write another column criticising Israel – not until my teeth were healthy and root-canal-free. Or I found a non-Jewish dentist. So it might have to be the healthy teeth thing.
Read the article by Danny Katz in The Canberra Times.