Taliban in Israel?

Prankster reserves parking spots for Syrian, Taliban diplomats; "Syria" misspelled in English
By Erez Erlichman

GIVATAYIM - Had Bashar Assad or Osama Bin-Laden wanted to park their cars in Givatayim, right outside Tel Aviv, they would have had no trouble, thanks to the work of a local prankster.

As of Monday night, the "embassies" of Syria, the Taliban, and Kurdistan have reserved parking spots on a major Givatayim street.

Suria? English lessons may be in order (Photo: Erez Erlichman)

Unfortunately, the prankster apparently does not possess good command of the English language, referring to Syria as "Suria," in line with the country's Hebrew pronunciation.

One neighbor said the signs marking the reserved spaces may have been put up to protest city hall parking policy, which he said was "insufficient at best." The municipal authority tends to neglect residents’ nightime parking complaints, he said.

'I am completely shocked'

Most locals dismissed the signs with a laugh, but some residents apparently took the prank seriously.

“I am completely shocked,” 52-year-old Yehuda Moshe said after he saw the signs.

“The fact the mayor decided to open enemy country embassies in town, I just don’t get it, and did he sign a pact with all of them? If the Foreign Ministry established the foreign embassies in town, then it’s unbelieveable,” he added. "It’s a pity the residents don’t get parking as well.”

Happy to see the signs

Area residents Liron Golan and Liad Cohen arrived at Givatayim Monday night to visit friends. The couple could not hide their joy at the site of the "newcomers" to the street.

“It’s about time they started establishing embassies here,” Golan said.

“I am proud to be a Givatayim resident and I wish all ambassadors sitting in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv move here," Cohen added. "We will accord them the proper respect, even if they come from countries with which we have no peace,” they added.

City hall officials unimpressed

City hall officials, however, said they are not taking the incident lightly.

“This seems to be a prank; city hall treats any damage to public property with all seriousness," one official said. He added the municipality is planning to file a complaint with the police and remove the signs soon.