Shorts: Mideast

Turks pooh-pooh 'Mein Kampf' popularity

jerusalem (jta) | A Turkish official downplayed the surging popularity of Hitler's manifesto.

"There is no racism in the country," government spokesman Cemil Cicek said this week when asked to comment on news that "Mein Kampf" has been one of the top-10 best sellers in Turkey over the past two months, Reuters reported.

Observers say the popularity of the book, which outlines a case for German nationalism in addition to its fierce anti-Semitism, reflects rising nationalism in Turkey at a time when many Turks worry that their country is making too many concessions to the West in a bid to join the European Union.




Israel's economy is lagging

jerusalem (jta) | Israel's economy is lagging behind most industrialized countries, a Bank of Israel report found.

According to the report, details of which were published in Yediot Achronot, Israel's per capita gross domestic product stands at $17,000, less than half the U.S. figure of $39,100 and also short of the EU average of $27,700. Israel's unemployment rate of 10.4 percent is higher than the U.S. unemployment rate of 5.5 percent or the EU's average of 8.8 percent.

Israel's GDP increased by 2.5 percent last year, just below the 3.4 percent increase in the United States and ahead of the EU's 1.4 percent.




Peace gets a chance on the radio

jerusalem (jta) | A bilingual Israeli and Palestinian peace song was played simultaneously on Israeli and Palestinian radio stations.

"In My Heart," performed by Israeli folk singer David Broza and Palestinian Wisam Murad, was broadcast Sunday, March 27, on Israel's Army Radio and Voice of Palestine Radio.

The director of Voice of Palestine said the event heralds a new era. "During the uprising, no one would have thought of this because we lived in devastation," Bassem Abu Sumaya was quoted as saying in Israeli media.




Israeli gay couples want recognition

jerusalem (jta) | Two gay Israeli couples who were married in Canada are seeking legal recognition of their marriages in Israel.

The couples seek to be registered as same-sex married couples and have petitioned the High Court of Justice to protest the Interior Ministry's refusal to recognize their marriages.

The Interior Ministry has said Israel does not recognize same-sex marriages.




Larry Bird goes to Tel Aviv

jerusalem (jta) | Basketball legend Larry Bird visited Israel to watch a game last week.

The former Boston Celtics star watched Maccabi Tel Aviv defeat Cibona Zagreb 83-75 in a Euro league match, Israeli media reported.

The visit by Bird, president of basketball operations for the NBA's Indiana Pacers, is part of a worldwide scouting effort.