Our government doesn't even have a private jet for official state business and we have held our leaders to the screws for bringing spouses on trips abroad where their presence was not strictly approved as official business by the state. I can certainly see that these miners are receiving a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the Holy Land during their holiday and I find it amazing that Israel extended such an invitation but the demands seem a little steep. Perhaps the timing is tricky, maybe after X-mas with a limited number of guests and probably not both a wife and mistress on our nation's bill.

your compatriot Jose Dominus Nolido almost encountered his death here after being mistaken for an Arab.

My rent has tripled, food has quadrupled and electricity and water have also gone up while my salary remains as it was fifteen years ago!! I can't pay my arnona or get my teeth fixed, but my tax dollars can go to pay for such extravagance for foreigners!!!??? If the Tourism Minister made this offer, let him pay it out of his own pocket!!!!!!!!!!!! The politicians spend our money like it grows on trees!! What an outrage!!

Makes sense that they don't want to be without their children on the first christmas after getting out - the article makes it seem worse than it is. This is fantastic advertisement for Christan tourism and a wonderful sign of goodwill, worth every shekel compared to whatever other initiatives the ministry might have used the budget for.

Why is Israel with all its troubles and poverty has to show everybody that we are sooo righteous, pay through the nose and look stupid on top?

well done, but where is the help for israelis that are living below the poverty line charity begins at home

money from appearances and should pay for their relatives to come. Paying for the miners to fornicate in Israel with partners and mistresses is abominable. Let them pollute some other land. There are lots of places they can go, but they only have the chutzpah to ask Israel to pay for their relatives to accompany them. Have a mass wedding in Chile first. What a bunch of losers. Only one of the miners got on his knees to thank God after being rescued. Do they think THEY kept themselves alive? It was God's hand that brought them out safely after setting it in the hearts of rescuers to persevere instead of having a mass funeral for the trapped miners without the very expensive rescue operation the miners paid nothing for.

everyone has preconditions for dealing with israel, not right or fair to israeli public

At first sight, the request to bring this number of dependants might seem a bit of a Chutzpah. However, it is perfectly understandable that the miners would want to bring their families on what would be a once in a lifetime trip to the Holy Land. These people are all probably devout catholics and why wouldnt their families want to be part of this thanks giving. Israel should pay for the whole entourage. It is the right thing to do; their survival is seen by many as a miracle of G-d. Let them celebrate together. For a change, lets see Israel make the right decision!

To come at least with their wives and the two morthers is not bad, but with childred, grandchild, nephew and partners daughter! i think its not fair.

These guys are superstars and will be talking to the media for a long time. They may even run for office. Who knows. Providing them with proper info about Israel is a good investment. Besides, anti-Semitism is rife in Chile. There is a large number of Chileans with German roots. There is even a small clandestine Nazi movement there. On the other hand there is a very large Christian Arab population, very well integrated, with members of parliament, artists, and all that. The anti-Israel feeling is very strong in Chile. Chile's voting record at the United Nations is completely anti-Israel. This PR is not as bad as you think.

Did our tourism minister indeed think those good Christians will spend Christmas without their kids? Esp. after being separated from them for so long?

That's my own precondtion to financing this generous trip, which I'm sure no one would listen to.

Israel offered to pay for their trip, extending that to spouses (or mothers for the 2 young ones) may be a reasonable expense for Israel to pick up. But children and grandchildren should only get Visas and included in buses for in Israel travel. Mistresses should not be covered at all beyond the visa.

The tourism ministry is inviting them because these guys are now the most famous victims since the Titanic but this time with a happy ending. Millions of people worldwide watched them being winched up out the mine and were happy for them and so now everybody wants to be associated with them. The president of Chile has been going on diplomatic visits abroad handing out bits of rock from the mine as gifts to heads of state. I really don't see anything thats actually going to help Israel through this unless the plan is to start printing tourist brochures which show the miners in Israel. hey come visit Israel officially endorsed by the miners Give these people a break leave the diplomatic visits to the diplomats and stop treating them as poster boys.

well all of it except may-be the guy needs to decide - the wife or the mistress but not both! ;o)

Talk about taking advantage of a generous offer to begin with. This is ridiculous!

Israel is paying much more trying to do some hasbara with no avail, they would 10 times just to try to improve its image, i'm afraid this one will not make much difference either.

Considering they are lucky to be alive its understandable they want to be spending it with their famies. For many if it was a choice between visiting Israel or staying home with the family they would choose to stay home. Israel wants them here at christmas for PR purposes so the price had to be invite the family. We want them here more than they want to be here so we have to pay their price which is also not an unreasonable one considering the circumstances.

This is great PR and worth every agara spent on the trip. Bring them here, show them the best time possible. You'll send 100 goodwill ambassadors back to South America, where these guys will be interviewed for decades to come - and when asked about Israel or what the best thing was following their rescue, we want them to say positive things about the Holy Land. Having been personally involved in these kinds of visiting non-Jewish people of note, I can assure you doubters that this is money well worth the budget.

... unless, of course, the wife agrees.

When you invite a Goy he brings a present.When you invite a Jew he brings another jew.But Chilians?Must be a lost tribe.

pissing on you, as this past week one of them who ran in the NYC marathon,had a very poor bitch out about NYC. They have shown themselves to be ingrates...You are looking stupid for buying into them.

These miners are religous and dirt poor.An all expenses paid trip to make Israel look good,Cheap propaganda .

good will ambassadors and so inexpensively.

The kindness that Israel showed to the miners sets a precedent. The next time a catastrophe happens, will the victims be expecting a freebie to Isael as well? And what about the 70 additional relatives? Talk about chutzpah! That was a no-class move on the part of the miners. If Israel allows them to accompany the miners, that will set another precedent that everything in Israel is a big free-for-all and, sure, bring your mistresses, have a blast. Israel should tell the miners that if they cannot be gracious enough to respond to the invitation in the appropriate manner they are re-invited to stay home. I know they went through hell, but their 15 minutes of fame are over, so they can stop trying to milk a dry cow.