JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli President Ezer Weizman collapsed from dehydration during an Independence Day ceremony Wednesday at his residence.
He quickly recovered, according to his physician, who described the episode as “only a fleeting moment of dizziness.”
Israelis, Palestinians team up for kicks
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A joint Israeli-Palestinian soccer team is slated to go up against a celebrity team in Italy later this month, the Israeli daily Ma’ariv reported.
Though the Palestinian representation on the team has not been finalized, the paper said the Israeli portion of the roster will include some of the shining stars on Israel’s soccer scene. The opposing celebrity team will include actors Sean Connery and Roberto Benigni.
Miss Lebanon’s grace doesn’t extend to all
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Miss Lebanon is refusing to speak with Miss Israel during the Miss Universe contest being held on Cyprus.
“I am an ambassador of my country, and I respect my government’s decision not to have links with Israel,” said Miss Lebanon, Norma Naoum.
But Miss Israel, Nirit Bakchi, said she is not bothered by the snub. “I just keep to girls I connect with,” she said.
Rude? Israelis point fingers at themselves
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A majority of Israelis think the typical Israeli is materialistic and loud, according to a poll published by the Israeli daily Yediot Achronot.
But only 20 percent of those surveyed believe they have those traits.
The poll also found that some 20 percent of the respondents, most of them young people, do not consider themselves Zionist.
Majority of Israelis unhappy with Barak
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A majority of Israelis say they are dissatisfied with Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s performance and that he has not measured up to their expectations, according to a new Gallup Poll.
Only 39 percent of those polled said they would vote for Barak if new elections were held now, according to the study.
Are Jews, Arabs kissing cousins?
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Jews and several Arab groups may have common ancestors, according to a new study of the Y chromosome.
A study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences also found that, despite thousands of years in the diaspora, Israeli men are closer genetically to each other than to the non-Jewish group studied.
The percentage of variation between Jews and Palestinians was only 1 percent, as compared with a 5 percent difference between Jews and Europeans.
The groups closest genetically to the Israelis: Palestinians and Syrians, with Saudi Arabians, Lebanese and Druze next.
Israel’s population reaches 6.3 million
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel has a population of 6.3 million, according to statistics released this week.
Of that total, 4.9 million are Jews, 891,000 Muslims, 110,000 Christians and 99,000 Druze.
Another 300,0000 people were listed by the Central Bureau of Statistics as immigrants from the former Soviet Union who are not registered as Jewish.