Pillar of community returns stolen stone, while aging Pink Floyd idol disses the Wall

An American tourist, who brought home a chunk of a medieval marble pillar from Jerusalem and kept it for a dozen years, has pleaded with Israeli authorities for forgiveness after sending it back, officials announced. Claiming that "a tour guide gave it to me", the anonymous New Yorker asked a priest to intercede with an emailed letter of apology. But it took more than a decade for this fellow to realize that his souvenir, an Islamic artifact which he used as a focus for prayers aimed towards Jerusalem, could be construed as antiquities theft. The hefty stone, 46 pounds, weighed heavily on the tourist's conscience. The BBC has the story, but doesn't address how he got the rock of ages past customs agents in the first place.
Meanwhile, former Pink Floyd rocker Roger Waters, is having second thoughts about his concert in Israel two years back. After touring Bethlehem's refugee camps in the West Bank, and observing the separation barrier up close, the aging bassist declared that he would give a free concert once the Israelis pull down their concrete monstrosity, just as he did in Berlin after the Wall fell. In fact, "I would insist on it!" The iconic pop song, "The Wall" was one of the signature tunes for the psychedelic era band, which used school children to sing the memorable chorus.
The Israeli government spokesman, Mark Regev, comes from the same generation as Pink Floyd and coyly responded: "We don't need no education...about suicide bombers coming into Israel and murdering innocent people and how the barrier has prevented that by 95 per cent." Israelity bites.

Military brief: lure male tourists

Out of Uniform in Tel Aviv


Brazen notion for a government body
(Cartoon from NY Post)

Scantily clad ex-soldiers in a men's magazine are beckoning young males to try sex tourism in Israel. Unlikely? Well, the brainstorm of the Israeli consul in New York resulted in what some critics branded a soft-porn photo spread in July's Maxim magazine, called "Women of the IDF".
Reports are mixed whether the scheme to show a little skin in order to promote the land of Guns and Moses was ill-advised. Particularly at a time when overt sexuality, hetero- or homosexual, scandalizes the devout of three monotheistic religions, to release officially-sanctioned, military-themed smut was a tad crass. Sex is invariably a bombshell in the world's holiest and hottest region (Some 7500 security cops were called out to guard a couple thousand Gay Pride marchers in Jerusalem yesterday. A dozen arrests and a confiscated homemade bomb made the day go smoothly, but not much fun was had by anyone. A real Drag, so to speak.)

Any visitors to Israel will need to book soon. Airfares are 15% higher than last summer and some flights already are sold out. Despite upheavals in Gaza, Qassam rocket attacks in Sderot and perceived threats from Syria and Iran, people flock here. The tourism ministry anticipates a 20% increase in visitors this summer, but mainly because summer youth programs have a record turnout.
Gidi Mark, who markets Taglit-Birthright Israel, says 24,000 North American youths will arrive during the next three months for free trips; they had to turn away 6,000. "This will be the largest number ever of students from the Diaspora in Israel during one season," he said.