In a televised address on the 46th anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr and his two companions, Amal movement leader and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, while accusing Israel of failing to comply with it.
On August 31, 1978, Imam Musa al-Sadr and his two companions were last seen in Libya, after which they were reported missing.
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Berri pointed out that Israel violated Lebanon’s sovereignty “more than 30,000 times by land, sea and air.”
In his speech, he urged the Lebanese government to move beyond “theatrical posturing” and focus on providing “the most basic needs” to the displaced people of southern Lebanon, who have been severely affected by the ongoing conflict in the region. He also stressed that resistance – diplomatic, cultural and military – is essential to counter Israel.
On the subject of the presidential election, which has been blocked for almost two years, the head of the Amal movement reiterated his August 31 call for a national dialogue or consultations, followed by successive sessions to elect a president of the Republic. This initiative was rejected by the sovereignist bloc, notably the Lebanese Forces, which refused to accept that a dialogue chaired by the head of Parliament should be a prerequisite for the election, and considered it a violation of the Constitution.
Berri insisted that “the election of a president is an internal constitutional obligation that has nothing to do with Gaza and the war in the south,” urging political leaders to seize the moment to fulfill this constitutional duty as quickly as possible.
Berri described the situation in Gaza and the region as “an open attempt to impose new facts in the Middle East,” warning that the fall of Gaza “would be a resounding fall for the nation in its national security, history, future and borders, as a prelude to dividing the region into sectarian and confessional states, where Israel would be the strongest entity.”
Berri also criticized the Netanyahu government, saying, “Netanyahu’s government is assassinating any effort to stop this unprecedented war in modern history, and is paving the ideological ground for the extermination of the Palestinian people.” He added that “Israel is absolute evil and dealing with it is forbidden, period.”
