Party for 60 years of Israel
Israel celebrated 60 turbulent years of independence yesterday with parties, barbeques and military displays.
There was also a greeting from space to mark the day.
Nasa astronaut Garrett Reisman, the first Jewish crew member on the international space station, said: “It never fails to move me when I see the familiar outline of Israel coming toward us on the horizon.”
But the party atmosphere was against a backdrop of faltering peace talks with the country’s 4.5 million Palestinians.
MISREPRESENTATION OF FACTS:
The 4.5 million Palestinians to which the article refers do not live in Israel, as is implied. They live in the West Bank and Gaza and are not considered part of Israel’s population.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert yesterday admitted he took cash from a US businessman. But he refused to resign over the police probe into alleged bribes.