The more I hear, the more I like. Well done Ms. Tartman. You seem more than qualified to welcome and encourage the true tourists to Israel. Happy to hear you are also bearing arms!

Thanks to your giving 50,000 rifles to the PA terrorists and other suicxidal actions, she is forced to need a gun to protect herself.

In today's Ynet Opinion section, Yariv Oppenheimer (seen left), general secretary of Peace Now movement, writes about newly appointed Minister of Toursim Estherina Tartman. Oppenheimer - a strong opponent of any active right-wing element - dislikes Tartman's appointment and argues that a racist, militant, right-wing tourism Minister is the last thing Israel needs right now. Oppenheimer criticizes Tartman for describing appointment of Arab MK Raleb Majadle "a lethal blow to Zionism." Thus - according to Oppenheimer - such person should not be part of Israeli government. It should be apparent that Oppenheimer and Tartman are two very different patriots of their country. While Tartman is a patriot of one Jewish state, Oppenheimer is a patriot of a two-state solution - Israel for both Jews and Arabs. Thus, Tartman protests appointment of an Arab Minister - in her opinion, clearly undermining the Jewish identity of the Jewish state, while Oppenheimer believes in solely democratic Israel - for both Jews and Arabs. However, Oppenheimer's words towards Tartman are one-sided and in some cases - unrelated. Oppenheimer, himself being at least a "strong disliker" of a large part of citizens of Israel - those being the settlers - believes, apparently, that he and Peace Now movement hold the exclusive rights to actively protest against a group of Israeli citizens (for the record, Peace Now actively protest against settlers and settlements). Even though I could understand Oppenheimer's point that a racist Tourism Minister would be harmful to Israel - I can understand his objection to TM being a racist - I still cannot see how Tartman's racism towards Arabs - if any exists - would actively harm Israeli tourism - after all, in most Arab countries there's an racist principle discriminating against Jews (for example, you cannot enter many Arab state with an Israeli passport or with an Israeli visa stamped in your passport). Oppenheimer's claim that Tartman backs expulsion of Israeli Arabs from Israel might be true, but is unjustified within his article. Yariv Oppenheimer's guesses about future work of the Tourism Ministry workers is still guess, as of this writing, and we are all waiting to see if Tartman's "radical" views will affect productivity of her office. However, criticizing Tartman for carrying a firearm in nowadays Israel - which is still at war, even though Peace Now secretary doesn't want to admit it - is simply insane and it is not apparent how will it affect the working routine in the Tourism Ministry. Many Israelis carry firearms; Israeli Defense Forces are part of Israel's identity now, with armed soldiers seen daily on the streets of every Israeli cities. Should all these people also be banned from carrying firearms to promote tourism in Israel? Maybe I'm wrong, but what would promote Israel as a safe place to visit is successful operations by the Israeli security forces against Palestinian terrorist infrastructure - which Oppenheimer opposes as being "offensive" and "oppressive" towards Palestinian population. If anyone promotes a negative image of Israel it is Oppenheimer's PN - loudly condemning Israeli government and policies all around the world - Western and Arab. (Full article and comment at http://tacticalsniper.blogspot.com)

by international tourists aka anarchists lured to Israel by people like Yariv & friends.

No to lefty intellectual utopists. Yes to Beitenu Government. No to Peace Now opinions. Wake up or shut up!

He'd fit right in with those Leftists anti-Israel morons.

Yariv, it is writers like you who create doubts in the hearts of jews and lead them away from their heritage. Someone may quote you, they get quoted etc. and in the end, even though what you write is your personal oppinion and lacks conection to reality in Israel, people may follow it. Is that what you want? To lead Jews AWAY from their heritage and their land? God gave that land to us. If you don't beleive that then stop being a Jew, change your name and religion and then at least you won't be leading other Jews away from the inside.

As for terrorist supporters of ANSWER, Peace Now, ISM, they're no tourists.

Frankly, there is nothing you have mentioned about Esterina Tartman that disturbs me, but your demeaning remarks about her and Israel are quite disturbing. Are you a fruitcake or what? The Arab minister you mentioned is giving speeches about destroying Israel, please correct me if I'm wrong. That is what your focus should be on. Arab officials in Israel who activily promote war and insurrection against the government they help represent. The statements you quoted do not mean she is racist only correct and not afraid to speak of it. That would be a great thing for Israel to openly debate what your writing about instead of calling the person a racist to delegitimize them.

We should forgive her for her sexy appearance! She's pretty Raelly HOT

with this country. You are the epitemy of traitorism and cowardice. You will stand before the almighty and answer for your crimes against the nation & people of Israel and against the one that holds the real title to this land. It cannot be put into words the depth of your depravity. One cannot even begin to tell you what you are.

B"H The message of a person who is able to bear arms freely in a homeland is that he or she is a citizen. Check out the US Constitution: the right to bear arms publically is a sign of citizenship. I do not know anything about Tartman's qualifications, however, in terms of what she would like to do with tourism. If Israel Our Home could provide some explanation on that in terms of her background, that would be fantastic. As for Peace Now's tactics of calling her racist, they have fallen on deaf ears. You are dealing with a yidishe momele who knows how to defend herself and is proud is the image she conveys. No one is buying into the "Peace Now" line of be wimpy and fall over since the image of her face says it all: Jewish pride. She is not one of those "tired of fighting" looking politicians that you can slip your propoganda over with credibility by taking one look at their worn faces. If "Peace Now" is so against her, why not instead of spewing more weak proganda, actually reference some facts. What is her background, for instance? How does that relate to tourism? I am sick of Propoganda Now. I want more substance. Quote: What is the message conveyed by a tourism minister who chooses to walk around armed at all times in her own country?

I saw the title "Tourism minister who carries firearm, holds racist views fitting for current-day Israel" and thought how dumb and the more I read the more specious the article seemed and then I got to the end and saw who wrote it and that explained all. You could ask the 400 people getting off a jumbo at BG airport and only a few Israelis might know who the Minister of Tourism is at that is only because it's just been in the news. NO foreigners would know. Every tourist knows that Israel is at war with the Palestinians and expects to see people in the street with guns and will probably not be surprised when he/she is frisked when entering a shopping mall etc. The tourist will also certainly be asked somewhere if he/she's armed with 24 hours of arrival. And this high minded person from Peace Now has no problem with "blurring the conflict'" ? After Washington and Moscow there are more press people here than in any other country in the world. Does this head in the ground ostrich think that the public don't know that there is a conflict here. Easy to see why Peace Now is probably the most hated group in Israel after Machsom Watch. Why Yariv Oppenheimer, who doesn't understand that we are at war is given column inches I have no idea ?!

Esterina Tartman ticks all the boxes for me. i'm going to visit Israel now simply because of her appointment. and so are all my friends. oppenheimer would probably rather have meshaal as tourism minister.

Even Olmert sometimes makes the right decision. I don't know anything about this Minister, but if she is everything the Opinion says she is, I hope she becomes the Prime Minister.

Looks like the overwhelming talkbacks think that Yariv is a Fruit Cake and should not be given the space to dribble his nonesense. Happy Purim

racism and culture of hate is not limited to the muslim societies anymore, it is now well florishing in the jewish society as well.

If you knew the first thing about Yordim, you wouldn't make such ignorant statements. There are very few Yordim in San Francisco. The most Yordim are in Los Angeles - up to 400,000 they say. And they're not leftists, or even centrists, they're rightists. Mostly fanatical Likud supporters of Moroccan origin, with pictures of Baba Sali and the late Lubavitcher Rebbe on their walls.

Yes, people, she IS HOT, but is 37 or 38 and b'h, a true patriot - unlike the sell outs in the Knesset! Esther Rina - we LOVE you! :-)

Scared she is going to kick out all your little "peace" now buddies Well all I can say to the new minister is Yasher Koach and make sure the door hits them all in the a...se on the way out

Give her a job washing floors and toilets in the Tourism Ministry. That keeps her safe and sound and out of the way.

Again the so called peace Now Talking. In her agenda minister Tartman should start to expulse the Peace Now people.

Jews are not racist when they want a Jewish country. The only Jewish country in the whole world. Is it racist to protect oneself from Arabs who wish to kill all the Jews? NO!! Your position is absurd, crazy and dangerous to Israel's survival. G-d bless honest Jews like Mrs. Tartman. Its the ultra liberals who are destroying the US and Israel from within with misplaced compasion for murderers and Islamic facist terrorists. If I was PM of Israel, I would kill all terrorists, deport all who support terror and murder. Thats how Israel will survive and thrive. That is how the US survived and thrived. Ultra liberals in US and Israel only want defeat and sympathy for terrorists. Thats the way to death and destruction. G-d bless Mrs Tartman's strength and may there be millions more like her. She is beautiful inside and out. Mrs. Tartman is my girls hero. You loser liberals can go move to San Francisco and have you love fest where you won't harm the countries of US and Israel.

How come you don't have Right Wingers Any More. Talk about freedom of speech. Too much left wing peace now stuff in this website now are you letting in really starting to get me angry. Why the policy shift all of a sudden???