Hasan Nasrallah on Future TV: So Al-Mustaqbal TV's Zahi Wahbi (a talented interviewer (and lousy poet) who undermined whatever journalistic credibility he had left when in the Labanese parliamentary election in the North, he went on TV pathetically begging viewers to go and vote for Hariri) interviewed Hasan Nasrallah on Khallik Bi-l-Bayt (Stay at Home)--a widely watched program that features interviews with celebrities, and when politicians are interviewed it is usually about their personal side. I think that the timing of the interview was crusial: there are signs of tensions between the Hariri Inc and Hizbullah, and Sa`d Hariri, or mini-Hariri, has not impressed anybody perhaps with the exception of the Bush administration. I was glad that Nasrallah resisted all attempts by Wahbi to prod him to profusely praise Hariri. He was very restrained, much more than when he praised Hariri in the wake of his assassination. At the time--I was told, there was a fear of real Sunni-Shi`ite tensions and conflicts in Lebanon. In fact, at one point yesterday, Nasrallah criticized the opportunists who exessively praised Hariri or exaggerated his qualities for political purposes. He reminded viewers that he did not do that. And the presenter wanted to bring the conversation always to Hariri. Nasrallah did not seem to enjoy that. Nasrallah also talked openly about the differences with Hariri especially in the 1990s, although he later said that those differences were resolved prior to Hariri's death, and I don't think that this is entirely true. Nasrallah spoke about his personal life, much more than at any other time, and said that his marriage was not family-arranged, and that he knew his wife prior to his marriage (she was a sister of a friend). He spoke about his son Hadi who died fighting Israeli occuapation forces in South Lebanon, and Wahabi failed to turn this segment into a Barbara Walters' affair. Nasrallah's father appeared on camera for the first time ever, and spoke about his son as a child. His father was a grocer in an East Beirut surburb, before the right-wing sectarian Christian militias drove all Palestinians, Kurds, and Shi`ites out of the East Beirut and Kisrawan region. Some childhood pictures of Nasrallah were shown. Wahibi was a former communist who was jailed by Israelis after their savage invasion of 1982, and retained some credibility among some because of that. Nasrallah spoke about his days in the Amal Movement (he reached the position of Politburo member) but left when many left when Nabih Birri accepted in 1982 to sit on the Salvation Committee headed by then presidnet Ilyas Sarkis, which included, among others, the fascistic Israeli tool Bashir Gemayyel. He spoke about the matter of the keeping their arms, but put that in a purely Lebanese context. He also clarified this remarks to the Kuwaiti newspaper 2 weeks ago in which he mentioned the private Rafiq Hariri's survey that revealed that Muslims constituted some 75 % of the Lebanese resident population. I don't find that estimate to be inaccurate but sectarian agitators in Lebanon, like Faris Su`ayd and the notorious deputy Ni`matallah Abu-N-Nasir (who appears when speaking to be eagerly waiting for a civil war round to go down the street looking for Muslims and Palestinians to kill) who want you to adhere to the French-conducted census of 1932 which once and for all, demographic changes and fertility differences among Lebanese sects notwithstanding, "revealed" that the Maronites constituted (and will always constitute) the single largest sect in Lebanon. Nasrallah said that he is opposed to the elimination of political sectarianism--distribution of posts and government services and funds according to a mythical sectarian formula of "equity." I of course favor a complete abolishment of the sectarian system in Lebanon and the creation of a secular government that would emulate the secular vision of...Robespierre. Nasrallah, on TV, is very good at hiding emotional reactions and irritations, and appears now as a good Lebanese politician. In private, he is more revealing. But I think that Hizbullah made a huge mistake in their electoral alliances in the last election, and most importantly it has hurt its image in the larger Arab world by aligning itself with the ruling Shi`ite parties in Iraq, which unwittingly helps US occupation. You hear criticisms of the Party's stance among many Arabs, even among those who like and admire Nasrallah. Hizbullah's support for Grand (not really) Ayatollah Sistani cannot be explained except in sectarian terms, no matter how much they would remind you that Sistani never met with an American in Iraq since war and occupation. It hurts the party to appear less anti-US occupation than Muqtada As-Sadr, as far as the Arab public opinion is concerned. Nasrallah did not appear sincere when he talked about his opinion of Gen. `Awn, and when he sounded as if he is on good terms with all Lebanese factions and personalities. But he did mention that the last statement of the Maronite Bishops' Council was "disturbing." Do you know that council meets every month and issues a statement on Lebanese and world affairs? Who do they think they are? Who cares about these opinions? And why have elections in Lebanon when this council will pontificate on all matters no matter what?