The magnanimity of our Gallic comrades didn't stop with their assistance in building that...um...municipal basketball court a few miles south of Dimona. Gay Paris is about to give Israel a very special 60th birthday present, one that way outstrips what the country got from its chums in America (that is, several days of snarled traffic). Hold on to your berets and pain au chocolat, Jerusalemites: you're getting a fountain.

Yes, Jerusalem's Place de France, better known as Kikkar Tzarfat, or even better known as "that little plaza where Agron meets Keren Hayesod meets Rambam meets Ramban meets King George meets people who like to wave to political signs at passing motorists," will soon be graced by a brand new fountain, a generous gift from the city of Paris.

The fountain was given to Jerusalem as a gift from Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë in honor of the State of Israel's 60th anniversary. The cost of its construction is estimated at hundreds of thousands of shekels.

But the radness of Parisian fountains aside, Jerusalem has gotten an even better gift from la France lately: thousands of its citizens, who have immigrated to Israel and brought with them a growing handful of authentic French pâtisseries, meaning Jerusalem can now choose from all manner of gooey eclairs and airy cream puffs to go straight to her hips. So grab a pastry and head up to the square to appreciate, in several key ways, what France has done for you lately.

Photo of a Paris fountain courtesy of OctopusHat from flickr under a creative commons license.