The Jerusalem Post - Oct 12, 2007

Daniel Sharon, an Israeli who was arrested in Beirut in September on suspicion of involvement in the murder of a local man and released to German custody on Thursday, says he still sees Beirut as the “Paris of the Middle East.”

Sharon told Channel 10 that despite his weeks in prison, he still loves Lebanon and in no way regretted his travels there. “It’s a beautiful country, the girls are beautiful, the food’s great,” he said.

The dual Israeli-German citizen gave an exclusive interview from Frankfurt, where he is expected to be questioned by Israeli security officials before being allowed to continue his travels.

“You can’t describe the feeling [of being released] - knowing that your life isn’t in danger anymore, knowing that you’re not accused of anything. It’s like being born again.”

Sharon also said he understood that, as a prisoner holding German citizenship, he had “gotten off very cheap” during his incarceration. He had been hit a few times, but generally not abused. “You see people around you being tortured, begging for their lives,” he said.

Sharon was arrested on September 20 after authorities in Beirut questioned a Lebanese security agent about the shooting death of the agent’s roommate.

The agent claimed to have been with a German friend, later identified as Sharon, at a Beirut hotel at the time of the killing. When authorities questioned Sharon, they discovered he was an Israeli who spoke Arabic and had repeatedly visited Lebanon.

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