It was a masterful piece of self-deception.
Benny Begin, Israel's fiercely secular Minister without Portfolio, turned up to Jerusalem's King David Hotel on Tuesday to brief the foreign press corps on the threat to Israel posed by the fusion of religion and politics in Lebanon and Iran.
Noting that the Middle East was a region that rarely produced ''good days'', Begin said that June 7 of this year had in fact been one such good day.
It was the day Lebanon's pro-Western March 14 alliance won that country's parliamentary elections, defeating the March 8 coalition that includes Hezbollah, the Shiite ''party of God'' that is strongly backed by Iran.
''The June elections were a triumph for the good guys,'' enthused Begin.
Putting Saudi Arabia at the top of his list of ''good guys'' that had provided support for March 14, Begin said the Lebanese election results proved at least one thing.
''It showed us that when you really make an effort, the good people can win.''
Since when did Saudi Arabia top Israel's list of good guys? - But more of that later.
Despite the ''good guys'' triumph, Begin lamented that it had all been downhill since then.
Hezbollah had succeeded in retaining its power of veto over all cabinet decisions in a new government of national unity.
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