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Israeli Loves Nadal, Kisses Him

PDA at U.S. open

by
Marc Tracy
September 10, 2009

Did everyone catch Rafael Nadal getting kissed by an adoring fan following his victory Tuesday night at the U.S. Open? (If you didn’t, you can watch it below.) Turns out the kisser—whom Nadal laughed off, though the security guards who carted him away were not smiling—is an Israeli named Noam Aorta who lives in Fresh Meadows, Queens, not too far from Arthur Ashe Stadium, the site of the smooch. “In my country, kissing a man is no big deal,” he reportedly told police. Really? Has Aorta stumbled upon the solution to the Palestinian question—interfaith kissing? There’s only one way to find out …

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.