Dear compatriot It is true the lebanese people want peace, but unfortunatly I am not as optimistic as you are. Lebanon is the country of the frustrated people. We don't owe it. We don't rule it. Even if we would like to live in peace with our neighbors, I am not sure the neighbors will ever let us live free and peacefully. Get rid of the fascist regimes in Syria and Iran first, change the way the israelies vew us and then maybe I will be more optimistic. Meanwhile, I would like to tell all the other readers, we lebanese have nothing to do with this wars. We want to live and let live.Salam, shalom.

There will be no peace only until people learn to feel as their neighbors across the fence feel. Ron Arad was captured in an air raid over Lebanon. Samir Al-Kuntar was captured while trying to raid Israeli army. Until people will learn to give same as they ask for then we can live peacefully in the ME.

I don't dispute the desire of the Lebanese to live in a democracy. Alas, as long as political parties (I use this as a very loose term) such as Hezbollah occupy seats in parliament, Lebanon will remain between a rock and a hard place. I believe it will take more than Lebanese Christians living in exile to foster a change. Note: My spelling of the Katrouska rockets is just that (since I do not speak Russian) and that was my best transliteration. I don't know why you asked if I was a Republican (it has no barring on this dialogue). BUT..since you asked, NO. I best describe myself as an 'independent' and that is how I am registered to vote. (Almost) finally, it does not matter when the 'film' was made about Ron Arad, it is the timing of showing this film that is most disturbing and I still state that it is manipulative. If those that made this film had an inkling of Arad's present situation, this should have been conveyed to his family directly and not used as political fodder. Again, you may or may not have the facts correct (I would never depend upon any government to provide me with full and accurate information). The facts on the ground speak volumes and the day-to-day realities (YES, for both sides) are the facts that must be dealt with and addressed. The mandate that UN/UNIFIL was given did not include 'watching' terrorists build arms, bunkers, etc. and NOT report them to the UN or Israel. UNIFIL is not an independent organization, it is funded by all country members. Sadly, the UN's ability to do anything meaningful is as futile as trying to 'milk a bull'.

Elana.. First I'd like to point out, I've answered ALL your points last time. Have you answered mine?. Why do you want to hide the fact that the Lebanese is a Godless criminal and is waiting for the opportunity to kill ever Israeli on Earth? Why do you want to spread such a wrong idea of us? That is wrong of you anyway.... Despite all those, I will answer you point by point again. 1- Democracy and Hezbollah Seats: There is more democracy in Lebanon than any other Arab country in the Midde East. Many times more than countries in "your West". Another reason? because we paid for it. During Syrian occupation of Lebanon, I among people used to protest against their presence; I was being sprayed at with gun jets from firetrucks, beaten up by their intelligence, even watched for days and weeks; i was lucky i wasnt taken for interrogation. Now, whenwe won over them, we earned our democracy and free speech. WE LIVE IN DEMOCRACY. Hezbollah earned their seats in the parliament, and i tell you, they wouldnt have earned a vote if Israel wasnt occupying our land. And democracy states that every party should be in a parliament if it is truly represented by the people. Whether you or I like it or not, those guys are represented. 2. I'm a Lebanese Christian, yes. But you hinting out that I'm living in exile is laughable. I'm here getting my Masters degree and I'm almost done. I will be posting you comment on the 24th of September from Beirut :) I earned my Masters only to go back and invest in my country, because I believe in it. The only Lebanese living in exile are politicians, they are less than 4. 3. No one asked you to learn Russian, but when you live in a country who's stability is threatened by Katyoushas or people launching Katyoushas, then you will surely know then how to spell it. 4. You being a republican or not, I'm glad you're independent. You live in a democratic country ins't it? 5. The timing of the video is ideal. because it reminds us that there is someone who is fighting all the secrets that are hiding the whereabouts of Ron. LBC didn't get Ron's video from Hizbullah by the way. There was an Israeli officer who was there in the editing of the video, he knew about the video a year ago and i can assure you Israel government knew about it. Couldnt they do something about it a year from now? And believe me, this video is a sign of Hizbullah's decrease in power; Hizbullah is taking it down. Still, Ron is a hero and if he's still alive (I hope so), he will return back to his country in a relatively short time. Well, on the other side, the disturbing and MANIPULATIVE state that you talked about is when Israeli PM last week is threatening and preparing for another war, and yesterday announces that he wishes to hold peace talks! the existance of tens of thousands of cluster bombs in South Lebanon (Even christian villages if you wonder.). Those small, but effective cluster bombs where dropped during the final 2 days of the battle, so when Israel knew the war is over, they want to leave the most damage they could do to civilians. Yes, to civilians; they can't differentiate a bomb from an orange, but hizbullah can. Cluster bombs are illegal to be used in civilian areas by the way (Your Geneva agreement.). enough talking with those stuff anyway, there;s an endless list of violations for both sides. END OF PART ONE

6. Okay, there are several things and dates you have to know about before going on and arguing. Date of formation of resolution 425. Date of formation of Hizbullah. Date of Israeli invasion of Lebanon which reached Beirut. If the mandate given to UNIFIL not to watch them build arms.....The fact on the ground (Your favourite term :) )is that they weren't given the authority to prevent them! Again, please read the resolution 425 of UN council. This resolution was formed in 1978, where at that time the Shiite militia there is called: Amal Movement. Hizbullah was formed in 1982, a few months after the Israeli invasion to Lebanon till Beirut (Israel was previously in South Leb). The fighting is still going on and on till now. Returning to the resoltion 425 which is the one who ordered the formation of UNIFIL, the first point was to order the Israeli's out of Lebanon. Was that resolution respected? They evacuated on year 2000! and yet, they left a 43 km2 piece of land that they wouldn't give up. UNIFIL saw what was happening, yes. But will you convince me that Israel and epecially USA didn't know about it? the CIA and MOSAD ? UNIFIL is nt an independent organization and it well funded by the UN, including "Your West" right? So if they knew what was going on, why didn't they do anything about it? The question is, did they want this war?...Stay tuned for more episodes!...milking a bull... Now the resolution of 1701 gives more power to the UNIFIL... but after what? After a massive 35-day war, massive deaths and casualties on BOTH sides, and lots of material damages. Therefore, Lebanese exiles - the Story of the Ron Arad Video - and UNIFIL and the story of UN Resolutions... are all areas for more...Research :). Please dont get me wrong, I'm not trying to go agressive, but I'm trying to tell Israeli people that what has happened, the Lebanese hasnt anything to do with. We want peace as much as the Israelis. Sadly though, many people don't want that to happen. Still, I'm optimistic. Very optimistic.

You have been diligent in defining your role and position and your defense of Lebanon (I would have expected no less). Correct, Syrian forces have been removed from Lebanon. I doubt if the same can be said for Syrian intelligence nor can it be verified. The fact that Harari was murdered and the only prosecution I am familiar with are the 'odd' suicides that took place in Syria. We can go back and forth on the matters of resolutions and what Ohmert said vs. what I have read and heard from the President of Lebanon to Nasrallah. The resolutions via the UN are just that...NOT SOLUTIONS and certainly not enforceable from what I have seen in my lifetime. I hope you are successful upon your return home and that you can bring reason, hope and peace. Two notes: #1. The USA is a republic that practices democracy. The consitution allows for dissent, but not the destruction of the branches of government by working against the good of the whole by a few. These matters are litigated through the court systems. No system is perfect, but it seems to be working - which may explain the desire of so many to want to live here. #2 The 'sticky spelling' issue - can we settle on Katushka, which is the most common spelling used in the US. By the way, I have been on the other side (recipient) of the rockets as well as suicide bombers and yet never had the desire to vote for an extreme political party nor person, but rather sought one that was looking for political solutions.

Hi Elana, Yes, I've been diligent and I will stay like that in order to change the perception of Lebanon to people. I want to convince them that the Lebanese people are not all Hizbullah, that the Lebanese people don't want war, that Lebanon is not the only one to blame for this war, we also paid a higher price for this and the previous wars. Syrian intelligence have stayed in Lebanon, true. Nevertheless I can assure you that their authority is nil. My friend, I'm an anti-Syrian to the bones and I tell you, they are so few and whenever one is caught, they are kicked out of the country. This is no issue anymore. The sides behind PM Hariri's death are obvious, and the investigations are pushing forward, the UN commisioned investigators are doing well, very soon the sides would be revealed and punished, directly or indirectly. The guy who "committed suicide" is called Ghazi Kenaan, a big Syrian army official. Before he "commited suicide" he called a talk show on a Lebanese news radio called VDL (Voix du Liban / Voice of Lebanon) and he hinted out scary facts,he said himself that this might be his last statement in his life. He knew he is going to be eliminated, and he did. Ofcourse it wasn't suicide. As you said, this discussion is endless. The resolutions, 425 and 426 especially, had the purpose of Israel evacuating from Lebanon. I presented the relations of Dates and Resolutions for a purpose...they didn't want hizbullah to stop, they knew he was re-arming but they didn’t do anything. they want Hizbullah to break the peace in south Lebanon to have a good reason to strengthen Israel's position as the "don't f*ck with us" country, in the region. I totally agree with you that they are not solutions, and they weren't enforced fully, some parts were enforced on us, but many parts weren't enforced on Israel, knowing that this is a UN resolution.... Oh yea, Our President, Lahhoud he's an idiot. His term ends in about one more year. Nobody wants this Syrian puppy to be in charge, but we can't change the constitution. I support the PM not the President. I totally respect the democracy in the USA. If you've noticed, I've never criticized American people / democracy. I criticize the people in charge; I criticize the people who do a bad job in foreign countries. Nobody has the right to question democracy in the States, but many have the right to criticize their actions in foreign affairs and actions. Please understand my differentiation: Country - People - Government regime. The "sticky spelling" issue is settled long agao, Katruska, Katyousha, or Katushka is still the old USSR rocket that Hizbullah uses. Concerning your last part; if you've been on the recipient side... I've never been on any other side. I was in Beirut during the July war, I travelled on the 19th (no escape, but i had to finish my thesis on time). Although our Beirut house is in the safe region, we still could bear the noises of rockets falling 60 kilometers away. We moved to our summer house in a mountain and that is where I was watching, live, rockets falling. I've seen the F16's, I've seen the ships, I seen helicopters destroying the sh*t out of this place. My native village in the south, 30 KM's away from the border is mostly destroyed, a 500 year old monestary was destroyed out of the blue. Well, Elana my village villa is now rubble. Myfather's grave, next to the monestary, was hit by a bomb from Israeli F16's: the top in precision bombing aircrafts. And yea, Hizbullah wasn't there in the village. How would you like that to happen to you? (God forbid). Concerning suicide bombs? The PM Hariri bombing was in Central Beirut, St. George Area. I escaped the bombing in my car by less than 15 seconds; I was going to university. It was a Monday. I really know what bomb recipients mean. I never and will never be an extremist. That’s why I post my comments here, that's why I oppose extreme Lebanese/Israelis/Arabs/Americans....

So it seems, we have both been the recipients of history. How interesting, that it is on YNET that this exchange took place between us and that both of us could state our cases. Maybe upon your return to Lebanon, this example could be one that is implemented there. The voices that do not get to be heard over the din of the political talking heads. If Lebanon is to exist as a 'democracy' than it is imperative that such forums and exchanges take place on-line and off-line. I caution beware of the UN, their motives are not clear, well-intentioned (in my own words NOT KOSHER) and are capable of stealing (literally) and manipulating events to serve their own global agenda. www.eyeontheun.org is an excellent source of information. As a footnote: I am a 5th generation Israeli (I have dual citizenship). I need not retrace the history of the past 120 years plus with you, no doubt you have done your homework and you understand that Israel has been threatened by her neighbors long before the UN existed. Israel must protect her borders since the land mass is so small and the need to exist so great and granted (by those of us who believe) by G-d. I have yet to experience nor read about a conflict/war that Israel initiated. The attacks on Israel's northern border were more than coincidence, since Qassam rockets from Gaza in the south had been ongoing in the past year along with the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit this summer. I do not subscribe to political coincidences. Forces in So. Lebanon knew damn well what the daily rockets were doing in Ashkelon, Sderot and other towns and they tried a 'squeeze play' by the cross border attack on the north. The consequences are borne by all now, but the blame lies clearly at the feet of those that wish no part of any peace come to any part of the middle east. This, of course, is a topic for another discussion. The larger and more brutal portrait of the M.E. is the political and economic structure that has made room for too many generations of the poor to be spoon fed radicalism to feed their bellies.

Elana, I agree with you on many of your points. The exchange of opinions here on YNET, as i think, is very efficient, and beneficial for both of us. Elana, the voices would come to be heard sometime, I assure you that there are plenty, plenty, plenty of Lebanese people who have the same views and post their comments on different websites in the world. Lebanon is more democratic than many Arab counties, I assure you. Still, such opinions are to be developed through time. I hope the UN becomes more regulated, and monitored by the public opinion. We have another thing in common. You and I have dual citizenship :). I was born in Los Angeles, and we have a house in Orange County. So you are an American/Israeli and I'm an American/Lebanese. Israel has been threatened by its neighbors for ages. Don't we as well?:) Our land has been occupied by: Crusaders, Islam army, Ottomans (Turkish), Germans, French, Israelis, Syrians. Who's next? CHINESE?!hehee. God has granted us all the willpower to exist, in peace. As much as I hate Israeli's generalizing Arabs as terrorists, I hate the Arabs generalizing Israelis and Jews as criminals. The initiation of the conflict... it's a headache, and a tagedy. Concerning the Qasam rockets and palestinians, please spare me of this subject as I will not address a single word on this subject. We had/have troubles with them. They started our 15-year civil war and we have 600,000 refugees in camps in Lebanon. Lots more as non-refugees (those, though are more than welcomed). One thing that matters to me now is the cease fire, stop killing on both sides, and reconstruction (In which I donated much of savings for). I'm not bragging, but I want to show you how much we Lebanese love and believe in ths country....to live in peace. The larger and more brutal portait of the M.E. is still being "painted" by the powers of the world. But I think, at least this part of the portrait, our part...would be looking good. I dont give more than a couple of years. Through those last arguments, You and I shared a lot... friends do that:) It's a pleasure. I've checked other forums on this websites, wow, those guys over there are going nuts hehe. I wish they could adopt an argument like ours... By the way, my MSN email is posted here too....feel free to stay in touch! My nickname is Maz. Real Name: Mazen. I hope the posts here won't stop though:)

Hi, Maz.... An excellent summary. It appears that we have used YNET for our own personal use and have dominated the 'talkbacks'. I wonder how many others have read them and what have they concluded (or not concluded). In any event, I have taken note of your msn account and will contact you via email. You are correct that the story is still being painted across the M.E. I hope the artist is closer to Gaugin in style than Dali (Dali is just too weird for my taste). Meanwhile the painting on the canvas now is ugly and has dried. Yes, I am also well aware of what the Palestianians did to obstruct life in Lebanon and of course, Israel...their presence is like an accident waiting to happen. Is it any wonder the Arab world wanted no parts of them and they are unable to hold political positions in countries they have immigrated to. Sadly enough, there are too many 'Arafat' wannabees. On the bright side, no one wants to be a Suha (ha-ha). I heard she has remarried to someone that also stole a nice chunk of loot from the P.A. No need to wonder why I have such disdain for France, since the likes of the new Mr. & Mrs. Suha live the good life at the expense of others. France has always welcomed the outlaws, possibly to make themselves look less threatening or less corrupt. Save some of your money and buy bullhorns upon your home - you've got a lot to shout out!

hahahaha. That was hilarious.

Poor Ron Arid, Hey Israel, Actually try to bring him home!