The Last Exile

If you want a better understanding of the subtleties or undercurrents in the modern Middle East you need to either know Hebrew or Arabic. Personally, I find Hebrew is far more useful given that the Israeli press has a great more latitude and freedom to publish than most Arab countries in the region.

Of course, it is my language of choice and although I am a long way from being mildly literate I can manage to negotiate simple things. All things considered, if neither is an option – spend the time learning how to effectively utilize Google’s translation tools so you don’t miss gems like this one from Ma’ariv. This way you can be the first in your ‘cybersphere’ to know three Iranians had been caught stealing passports from Israeli tourists via a neutral third country even before the Dubai Affair.

And who knew 15,000 Israeli passports are lost, misplaced or stolen every year?