Since all Israeli males require military service, saying they are young Israeli men amounts to the same as Israeli army vets. No real need to hype it here, sp.

Could find any reference to "high-fiving," though, not that it really matters. A high-five is hardly a criminal offence.

Sources also said that even if the men were spies, there is no evidence to conclude they had advance knowledge of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. The investigation, at the end of the day, after all the polygraphs, all of the field work, all the cross-checking, the intelligence work, concluded that they probably did not have advance knowledge of 9/11," Cannistraro noted.



As to what they were doing on the van, they say they read about the attack on the Internet, couldn't see it from their offices and went to the parking lot for a better view. But no one has been able to find a good explanation for why they may have been smiling with the towers of the World Trade Center burning in the background. Both the lawyers for the young men and the Israeli Embassy chalk it up to immature conduct.

According to ABCNEWS sources, Israeli and U.S. government officials worked out a deal -- and after 71 days, the five Israelis were taken out of jail, put on a plane, and deported back home.

While the former detainees refused to answer ABCNEWS' questions about their detention and what they were doing on Sept. 11, several of the detainees discussed their experience in America on an Israeli talk show after their return home.

Said one of the men, denying that they were laughing or happy on the morning of Sept. 11, "The fact of the matter is we are coming from a country that experiences terror daily. Our purpose was to document the event."




(Source)

A pretty sound closing argument. Embarrassed over being caught laughing, they now deny it. Human nature, and the denial repeated in the last paragraph tells me this the lawyers and Israeli Embassy officials are likely correct in the assumption that the conduct be merely looked upon as being immature. The mature argument would be pleasure over the eventuality that Israel would no longer stand alone against international terrorism, and that the vast and powerful United States of America was finally truly awaked to their cause.

In a similar situation, I think the same would have brought a smile to me, sorry for the many lives lost in the event, but thankful for the assistance that would soon come to my people, and my country. I would like to think, however, that I would not have desired my photograph taken with the disaster unfolding in the background -- but then I tend to imagine myself sorta growed up.

Now, are we looking for some collusion in this -- or is this merely another of your conspiracy theories?

Dan