Ridicule won’t kill Gebran Bassil any time soon. Between lies, half-truths, and fabrications, Batroun’s MP is willing to say anything and everything to make himself interesting and relevant.
During a televised interview on OTV on Wednesday, the son-in-law of the ex-President of the Republic complimented Speaker of the House Nabih Berry, with whom he maintains a more than frosty relationship, assuring that he “appreciates and loves him on a personal level”, although the two men have never hidden their contempt for each other. A seduction operation whose sole aim is to get closer to the head of the Amal movement, since Bassil has decidedly run out of allies.
Indeed, the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement has alienated his -former- main ally, Hezbollah, through his antics and whims over the past few years, particularly concerning the presidency. The pro-Iranian formation, fed up with his spoiled child behavior and insolence, ended up distancing itself from the person who provided it with a modicum of Christian political cover.
Gebran Bassil was not particularly pleased by this stance and was quick to describe the infamous Mar Mikhael agreement as obsolete. “This agreement with Hezbollah was aimed at protecting Lebanon and confronting Israel, which constantly assaults the country, but it does not go beyond this objective. This document of understanding did not deal with the liberation of Palestine, since that is a matter for the Palestinians.” He added: “We are against the unity of fronts, and we support the logic of peace. International resolutions, particularly 1701, must be applied. We must recover the Shebaa Farms, ensure the return of Palestinian refugees and displaced Syrians, and obtain rights to gas resources.”
Bassil also called for Lebanon’s neutrality “in conflicts that do not benefit it”, stressing that this did not mean being neutral on important regional issues. He also advocated the development of a system based on a civil state, constitutional reform, the creation of a Senate, and the unification of personal statutes, and stressed the importance of decentralized development. A troubling turnaround for a politician who used to defend tooth and nail a pro-Iranian terrorist militia that went to great lengths to flout institutions and violate the Constitution.
The president of the FPM also addressed the issue of the presidential election, criticizing Christians who deliberately prolong the vacancy at the head of state for personal political gain, calling on religious and political leaders to assume their responsibilities in this situation. An aberration from the person who blocked the formation of a new government for months during his father-in-law’s term of office, and who continues tirelessly to prevent the election of a head of state so that he can be elected to the supreme magistracy.
Asked about the arrival of US envoy Amos Hochstein on Thursday, Gebran Bassil was indignant about the purpose of the diplomat’s visit. “What Amos Hochstein will come to propose requires a President of the Republic, because resolving the thirteen contentious points is not enough. We need a Head of State to lead the negotiations”, he concluded.
Be that as it may, apart from the veiled jabs at some and the reproaches leveled at others, the MP’s interview brought nothing new at the political level and will certainly not change the situation. This is hardly surprising with his comments that are populist, basic, primitive, and devoid of substance.
