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The Schmooze

Gay Tourist Robbed, Left Naked at Israel Intersection

Criminals apparently got the memo that Tel Aviv’s now hot with gay tourists, as the Forward recently reported. According to JPost.com, a British traveler was lured into a robbery with promises of sex, then left stranded — and naked — at a Tel Aviv intersection by a male perp.

Though reports of the crime just surfaced yesterday, police say the alleged attack took place on April 4. The Briton got friendly with the suspected robber on one of Tel Aviv’s gay-friendly beaches. The victim drove with his new friend to a secluded spot under a bridge, where they started “engaging in sexual acts,” according to JPost. Then the alleged criminal, a Palestinian who lives in the West Bank, threatened the Brit, kicked him out of the car and sped off with his clothes and possessions.

Will gay-oriented tour companies, two of whom lead major trips this summer, now take extra precautions? “The most important item about our trips is to make sure we blend into the culture and normal happenings of a foreign land,” wrote Dane Steele Green, president & CEO of Steele Luxury Travel, in an e-mail to the Forward. “We do provide a great measure of security for our guests and will keep them safe during their trip,” wrote Green, whose company has a high-end gay Israel tour planned for June.

The suspect was apprehended last week, the article said, after police located the car and brushed it for fingerprints.

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