The Paris Summit and Lebanon's 'Heroes'

The first took place in Paris. This past weekend, 43 leaders from the countries surrounding the Mediterranean (as well as a few that wished they had beachfront property) met in the City of Light to talk about peace and regional cooperation. Though the event may have been orchestrated more to boost the ego of French President Nicholas Sarkozy, it cannot be denied that there was something worthwhile about forcing so many disparate nations to sit down at the same table together. That is especially true considering that this forced many Arab and Islamic countries to at least acknowledge the existence of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Of course, it wasn't all champagne and bonhomie at this summit. Syrian President Bashar Assad refused to let his picture be taken with Olmert and walked out when the Israeli spoke. And, egged on by the Palestinians, the Arabs balked about any expression of support for peace that specifically included a mention of a Jewish state.

Nevertheless, the conclave is another instance where many leaders of Muslim and Arab states have been forced to recognize Israel's legitimacy and deal with it directly. It remains far from clear whether this means that Israel has "never been closer to peace," as Olmert asserts -- a statement that may have something to do with his own shaky standing at home. But such gatherings do reinforce the notion that peaceful relations between nations should be the norm, rather than violence. As such, Sarkozy's efforts -- the work of a man who clearly seeks to reverse decades of previous French policy aimed at undermining Israel -- must be applauded.

Then again, there will be another ceremony in a nation that borders the Mediterranean this week that sends a very different message.

On Wednesday, Lebanon's president and prime minister were scheduled to greet and honor a group of people returning to their country after a long absence. The prodigal sons in this instance are four Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, who were captured while battling against Israel in 2006, and Samir Kuntar, a Lebanese Druze who has spent the last 29 years serving a life sentence for murdering an Israeli man and his young daughter in a 1979 terrorist attack.

During the course of a terror raid on Israel's coast, Kuntar invaded the home of an Israeli family, killing the father, 32-year-old Danny Haran, with a rifle shot, and then used the butt of his weapon to smash the skull of the victim's daughter, 4-year-old Einat. Another child, 2-year-old Yael, died in the incident when she was smothered by her mother, who was hiding from the terrorists.

Kuntar, who was captured by Israeli forces, received a life sentence for his crime. Yet, along with his Hezbollah colleagues, he was exchanged by Israel for what are believed to be the remains of two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah in the summer of 2006.

But rather than being treated as a monster who killed a child in cold blood, Kuntar is being given a hero's welcome in Lebanon.

That a person who did such deeds is revered by a country is a black mark on its honor. Even more to the point, what does it say about the political and social culture of Lebanon (whose government is now largely controlled by Hezbollah), and the rest of the Arab world that shares its sensibilities, that it still views the murder of Jewish civilians as a "victory" worth celebrating?

While we hope the Paris summit will lead to genuine peace in the future, the question remains whether any country in which Samir Kuntar is considered a hero is one that is ready for or willing to even accept the notion of a lasting peace. Lebanon's answer, loudly echoed by the rest of the Arab world, is a resounding no.