"PISTACHIOGATE"

While we are in Israel, the Prime Minister is struggling to form a coalition, riots rage on the West Bank, the Iranians accelerate their nuclear bomb implementation, and a myriad of other issues of incredible complexity face and continue to confront Israel. So, it was great to have some comic relief.

On February 18, The Jerusalem Post reported on Glidagate:

"Dreaming about eating pistachios means you will earn 'blessed money' in the near future, according to tradition. Perhaps Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was dreaming when he asked for 10,000 Shekel budget for buying pistachio and French vanilla ice cream from the high-end Jerusalem gelateria Metudela near the Prime Minister's residence.

          The entire country was up in arms when word of his large personal            
       expenditure at an ice cream store was published...revealed that
          Netanyahu asked for and received 10,000 Shekels per year to order
          ...'his personal taste' in ice cream."

There is not much to add to this "crime of the century" other than this -- after the story first broke, "customers streamed to the store from as far away as Tel Aviv and Rehovot;" incredibly, "... a kilogram of ice cream at Metudela costs 72 Shekels, meaning for 10,000 Shekels per year the firsts family and their guests are eating about 11.5 kilograms per month." FYI, 1 kilogram = 2.5 pounds or 25 pounds of this stuff per month. OMG!!

And, of course, "Netanyahu canceled the request, calling it 'extraneous'"

Another day in Israel.

Rwexler