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del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 01:33 14/10/2007 Israeli tourist held in Lebanon jail recounts two-week ordeal By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent "Danny al-Alamani" (Danny the German) was the nickname that Daniel Sharon was given during his brief incarceration in Lebanon. To him, the nickname reflected the German patronage that aided in his release after 22 days in detention. Sharon, who holds dual Israeli and German citizenship, was arrested on September 18 on suspicion of involvement in a murder case and released last Thursday. Early Friday morning he was returned to Frankfurt, and by Saturday afternoon he was already on his way to Turkey. In a telephone conversation with Haaretz, Sharon chose to speak the Arabic of the Gulf states, in which he is fluent. Although the interview focused on his well-publicized arrest and release, Sharon often veered from the main topic to describe the beauty of Lebanon and his love for its people. His favorite subject, though, is the wild nightlife of Beirut. "I have to mention this pub, Sky Bar. As someone who's been to almost every place in the whole world I can say that there is nothing like this amazing place anywhere," Sharon said. Advertisement Sharon, whose German-born mother now lives in Australia, says that he was raised in Germany in a wealthy milieu. Many of his friends were from the Gulf states, mainly the United Arab Emirates, and through them he became acquainted with and fell in love with Arab culture. In recent years he lived in the emirate of Ajman and worked for a Dubai real estate company. Sharon's love affair with Lebanon began in 1996, when he visited it for the first time. He stayed in Beirut for a week. "I entered as a tourist, on a German passport, and didn't have any problems." He returned in 2005, arranging to meet a friend of Lebanese origin in Beirut. "I came from Dubai and she came from Australia, and we were there a few days," Sharon said. He tells the story of his arrest with great emotion: "I arrived at the airport, where a Lebanese friend, a Shi'ite Muslim who works for the state general security service was waiting for me." While the two were dining in a restaurant, the friend received a phone call from which he learned that someone had been murdered in his apartment building. "A few hours later he asked me to come to the police station so I could prove I was with him at the time of the murder, in effect to serve as his alibi," Sharon explained quickly. When he went to the neighborhood where the police station was located, Sharon began to be suspicious. "I sensed that I had entered a Shi'ite area, and the proof was in the Hezbollah flags and the slogans everywhere in praise of the organization." When he disclosed that he held Israeli citizenship at the station, he was immediately arrested and handed over to the Lebanese Defense Ministry. "It was a scary place, they transported me with my eyes covered and I felt as if I was being put underground. The questioning focused on my connections with the Mossad and why I had come to Lebanon. There wasn't any torture, just curses, but in the background I could hear the shouts of other detainees," Sharon said. He was accused of bringing pornographic material into the country and of conducting an illicit relationship with the murder victim. "I denied it strenuously and made it clear that I didn't know the man." Sharon vehemently rejected published allegations according to which he is homosexual and was in Lebanon to visit a boyfriend. After being held for five days, he was visited by a representative from the German embassy. "I was relieved, my fear the whole time was that I'd be handed over to Hezbollah." The next day, I was transferred to a different military installation for 10 days, and interrogated daily. "I tried explaining that I had no connection to Israeli intelligence, that I didn't serve in the army and that I opposed Israeli policy." After 16 days, Sharon felt that he would be set free shortly. "I sensed they were persuaded that I had no connection to Israeli intelligence or to Jordanian intelligence, as some of the interrogators tried to see, but it didn't really reassure me." At that stage he was brought to Qasar al-Adal, the Palace of Justice, where he was brought before a judge for the first time. "The judge asked me all sorts of irrelevant questions and I felt they were convinced I wasn't connected to anything." Sharon described the atmosphere in his jail cell, where he remained for four more days, as fairly easy. The other prisoners "even shared their food and drink with me," Sharon said, and one can almost hear him smile. His final two days of imprisonment were in the general security services facility, where his papers were processed. "On Thursday night I was already at the airport, and I feel that I wasn't deported, I left like anyone else. The only difference was that a police officer escorted me to the plane," Sharon said. "There's no doubt that this was a strange experience for me and I'm glad that it's over." Despite his love for the country, Sharon admits that he will not go back to Lebanon, or to any other Arab country, in the near future. He does hope to return at some point: "My love for this country can't be taken away, I am pained by what happened last year, how they destroyed the country in the war," Sharon says Bookmark to del.icio.us An exclusive drink We are more familiar with its stepson, gin, but jenever truly 'makes the heart rejoice'. Citizens unite Azulai's vital book focuses on photography in the contexts of occupation and exploitation.   1.   Another Israeli idiot 11:43  |  Absolute Sweden 13/10/07   2.   Lebanon belongs in the Dark Ages 11:47  |  millie 13/10/07   3.   Ordeal 13:00  |  Brod 13/10/07   4.   Millie - homosexuality in Lebanon 13:01  |  Slibovitz 13/10/07   5.   The release 13:50  |  Joseph (Lebanese) 13/10/07   6.   waste of space article jut like absolute sweden thingy 13:53  |  Sam (UK) 13/10/07   7.   previously converted to islam and jew hater 13:55  |  Stephane 13/10/07   8.   tolerant beirut 13:56  |  shlomo 13/10/07   9.   a pityful case 13:57  |  Leon Rosgarten 13/10/07   10.   Schwul and fruity in Lebanon 14:12  |  Moshe 13/10/07   11.   hidden identities 14:17  |  worriedlebanese 13/10/07   12.   #6 Dear Haaretz 14:33  |  rkr 13/10/07   13.   Pityful? 14:36  |  ???? 13/10/07   14.   To worriedlebanese re: hidden identities 15:22  |  Yael 13/10/07   15.   Israeli tourist held in Lebanon jail recounts two week ordeal 15:34  |  David 13/10/07   16.   Criminal offense? 15:51  |  Observer 13/10/07   17.   Mossad agent 15:56  |  Baz Mann 13/10/07   18.   #6 Sam 16:10  |  Bill 13/10/07   19.   I think he was a spy 16:15  |  Average Joe 13/10/07   20.   homosexuality forbidden in lebanon? 16:37  |  vladimir 13/10/07   21.   @9, leon how good that you are back. what happen? 16:41  |  vladimir 13/10/07   22.   HOMOSEXUALITY IN LEBANON 17:03  |  indrajaya 13/10/07   23.   Not a spy (mossad), just an idiot 17:06  |  Brian 13/10/07   24.   Liars! Homosecuality in Lebanon is NOT a Crime! 17:39  |  AceV1per 13/10/07   25.   Gay in the arab world 17:57  |  Frederique 13/10/07   26.   To Indrajaya: Homosexuals in Islamic countries 18:02  |  Adolfo Talpalar 13/10/07   27.   Homosexuality in the Muslim World 18:08  |  Daniele 13/10/07   28.   indrajaya- Average Joe 18:23  |  Za Phod 13/10/07   29.   WISHFUL THINKING? 18:24  |  Kris 13/10/07   30.   NO HOMOSEXUALITY IN ISLAM? 18:56  |  Dan 13/10/07   31.   Mossad agents don`t travel with Israeli passports 19:04  |  Israeli 13/10/07   32.   Indrayoyo is not completely wrong 19:17  |  Rory 13/10/07   33.   torture?? THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL WILL CHECK?? 20:05  |  Alain 13/10/07   34.   Indrajaya #22 of JAKARTA 20:21  |  Aristonijad 13/10/07   35.   indrajaya and homosexual free Muslim world 21:05  |  infidel 13/10/07   36.   Un-natural sex 21:21  |  Charles Star 13/10/07   37.   indrajaya and homosexual free Muslim world. 21:44  |  infidel 13/10/07   38.   HOMOSEXUALITY BY INDRAJAYA 22:04  |  cristo 13/10/07   39.   Why there is no homosexuality in Islam Countries 22:11  |  Mohammed 13/10/07   40.   Intrigue 22:12  |  M. Salazar 13/10/07   41.   #22 Darling, I`m Arab, and Gays are ABOUND in Lebanon! 22:31  |  Gay Arab 13/10/07   42.   HOMOSEXUALITY ENCORE... 23:16  |  indrajaya 13/10/07   43.   What do you expect?! He was asking for it... 23:23  |  Paul 13/10/07   44.   Israeli men 23:32  |  moi 13/10/07   45.   gay, lebanon jail, israel-i tourist etc 23:44  |  samuel 13/10/07   46.   #15, David, Israeli tourist..... 00:14  |  Mat 14/10/07   47.   Indrajaya on gays in Islam#22 - R U spokesperson of Iran? 02:45  |  William 14/10/07   48.   Israeli tourist held in Lebanon 07:22  |  Vera 14/10/07   49.   israeli in lebanon 07:41  |  aline 14/10/07

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