I have met quite a few youngish Syrian-born Israelis in recent years. One is a friend at work. They all tell fascinating stories about how they managed to get out, which I will not repeat here, so as not to spoil it for others. All except one, who completely refuses to say anything at all about his past. He was twenty when he left Syria, so it's not that he's forgotten. The others all say that their families had been wealthy and well-connected in Syria.

My friend at work, who left as a teenager and is now in his twenties, has been rubbing his hands in glee at the rising tension between Lebanon and Syria following the assassination of Rafiq Hariri. No love lost there.