This guy has a right to his beliefs and his preferences, but it appears to me that we’re not exactly dealing with a rocket scientist here. He says “I believe in Lebanon and in its democracy.” He is surprised that they treat people roughly in police stations there. Uh huh. So, Syria-dominated Lebanon, with its Syrian-infiltrated army and police, where even Hezbollah was recently part of the government, would never engage in rough treatment. Duh.

I just found this article from a few days ago in the Miami Herald, which seems to sum things up. Here are a few snippets:

“The ‘March 14 movement’ won elections and set up a new government [in 2005], led by Prime Minister Fuad Saniora. Lebanon seemed on the verge of a new era. Flash forward to November 2007. The bulk of the once-hopeful parliamentarians who won in 2005 are hunkered down in the Phoenicia Hotel near the Beirut seaside, protected by Interior Ministry security guards. Blankets cover the windows to protect against snipers. Tanks guard nearby intersections.

“More than 40 legislators are holed up there because they want to stay alive long enough to vote for a new president on Nov. 21 to replace the current pro-Syrian president, Emile Lahoud. Six of them have been assassinated, with these murders also widely attributed to Syria. Their majority in parliament is now razor thin.

“’If they will kill four or five more of us, they will have a majority,’ I was told by phone by Mesbah Ahdab, a member of parliament from the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli who is heading back to the Phoenicia this week. By ‘they,’ he means pro-Syrian agents. ‘The deputies are living there because there are real threats of assassination.’”

“The more famous or wealthy deputies can hire their own security forces. But, Ahdab told me, ‘All the members who don’t have protection are in the Phoenicia. I don’t think (pro-Syrian forces) can blow the hotel up, but there is always the possibility.’

“Syria will not easily give up its control of Lebanon, and the Syrian regime is eager to block an international tribunal looking into the murder of Hariri. U.N. investigators have already pointed the finger at Damascus.

“Syria’s main Lebanese ally, the Shiite Hezbollah movement (which gets Iranian arms via Syria), has besieged Saniora’s office for months, paralyzing the government. Hezbollah is demanding a ”consensus” president. That’s code language for someone sympathetic to Syria’s bidding.”

I recall that Hezbollah had members in the Lebanese cabinet. They quit last year because the government wasn’t sufficiently pro-Syrian.

Yes, democratic institutions do have a foothold in Lebanon. Yes, the Cedar Revolution was impressive, although its gains are by no means secure. One can believe in the hope of an eventual secure democracy in Lebanon, one can admire the Lebanese who are fighting for it. But Daniel Sharon spoke as if that democracy were already secure and in full operation. He seems a bit naïve.

And what does Sharon mean when he says “I believe that our country should be a part of the Arab world”? Why can’t Israel be true to its own culture and language? Why can’t Israel (like Turkey or Iran) be part of the Middle Eastern world, in which one doesn’t have to be Arab to belong? What Israel owes its neighbors is a knowledge and appreciation of their cultures, and sensitivity to their needs and perspectives. Granted. No argument there. But no country owes anyone else the obligation to disembarrass itself of its own identity, its own language. Israel should not have to commit cultural suicide to get along with its neighbors. Nor should it have to Arabize itself in any way as a price of acceptance. No neighbor should ask that of Israel; that’s just plain intolerance.

And let’s face it, even a willingness to fit in on Israel’s part, to understand the nations around it, won’t accomplish very much. Not when the populations of those other nations, as well as some of their governments (plus the PA, Hezbollah and Hamas), still dream of destroying Israel.

Oops, I’m sorry, I’m getting away from the main point here. I hope that Daniel Sharon has a nice life, but I’m not going to waste time pondering over his views. I think he missed a lot during his 11 visits to Lebanon.

What Liza said!

and waiting for new stories…