12 December 2005

Lunatics and their attraction to Holy Land.

(From a printed edition of Maariv, October 2005. No link found.)

From the beginning of 2005 248 tourists were refused an entry permit by the border police and the interior ministry and returned back on the next flight out, being identified as crazies.

Some anecdotal examples:

A German lady who explained that the sole reason for her visit is to get jailed in Israel. When told that to jail her she must commit a crime, she pissed in the airport lobby.

A man who, upon landing, entered the interior ministry rep. room, put a bundle with $30K on the table and said that he fell in love with Israel and decided to stay here for good.

An American who sat on the floor before the passport control and refused to proceed forward until a Mossad person talks to him. A Mossad person was indeed called and after a short discussion, the man got turned back.

Another American who didn't want to go through passport control, explaining that the only reason for his visit is to wish the best to the security guys in the airport.

Etc.

The recommendation to the tourists in the article:

- Do not demand an immediate meeting with Mossad
- Do not tell that you are being pursued by international spy outfits
- Do not refuse to pick up your luggage from the conveyors
- Do not offer thousands of $$ to the airport employees
- Do not pass your waters in the passport control lobby

What bothers me now: what does this inexplicable attraction to this land tell about us locals?

1 comments:

Fabián said...

I fear that many lunatics passed airport control...they are up on the hills of the West Bank shouting "this land is ours" with an English accent.