Cuba, playground for Palestinians

From the whodathunkit file the Herald brings us the story of how Cuba is a destination of sorts for jetsetting "Gazans".

Two popular destinations for Gazans are Canada, which still offers legal immigration, and Cuba, which imposes few restrictions on Palestinian travelers.

Oh, but it's not as it seems:

Those with tourist visas to Cuba often don't plan to go there. Instead, they get off in transit at a European airport, rip up their Palestinian travel document and seek asylum.

Travel agencies in Gaza arrange for fictitious invitations, hotel bookings and Cuban visas for their clients, a Palestinian security official said. The cost of the service has gone up from $200 to $1,500 because of the high demand and increasing risk, the official added.

Not surprising. If there's a shady business that can be done with a patina of legality, Cuba is usually involved in it somehow.