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Welcoming Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai in Mukhtara, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt called on Tehran and Washington to unblock the presidential election.
The visit of Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai to the Chouf on Friday, which aimed to consolidate the reconciliation in the region that was sealed in 2001, highlighted the convergence of Druze-Christian views on current issues. These include the urgency of breaking the presidential deadlock, developing a precise roadmap for the country’s recovery and consolidating the reconciliation in the Chouf region. While dialogue as a means to potentially facilitate a breakthrough was also briefly discussed, it was likely downplayed due to political divisions over the desirability of this approach, particularly favored by the Amal-Hezbollah alliance.
The presidential election was a central theme in the welcoming speech delivered by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt when he received the Maronite Patriarch and Druze Sheikh al-Akl Sami Abil-Muna in Mukhtara. Jumblatt emphasized the urgency of electing a president and criticized those blocking the presidential election. He called on Iran and the United States to contribute to breaking this deadlock, in reference to the recent simultaneous visits of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and US envoy Amos Hochstein to Beirut.
Jumblatt immediately stressed that he wanted to speak as an “observer who appreciates the efforts made by Bkerke at both the local and international levels to break the presidential deadlock.” He also praised the Patriarch’s support for the dialogue initiative launched by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
“The reconciliation has been consolidated (between Christian and Druze residents of the Chouf) despite some discordant voices from parties that seek to dig up the dead and ignore coexistence in the country and the Chouf,” he said, in a thinly veiled reference to statements made by head of the Free Patriotic Movement Gebran Bassil. He insisted that “all the victims (of the war), regardless of their affiliations, belong to this country and not to any specific party.”
“Foolish and dangerous”
Regarding the presidential election, he argued that “there is nothing more foolish, futile, and above all more dangerous than accepting the leadership vacuum without hesitation and not wanting to facilitate the presidential election.” He also indirectly criticized international actors who, in his view, complicate the presidential election by discussing the characteristics of the new head of state, “as if the role of Parliament is to take lessons in sculpture and tailoring.”
The Druze leader directly appealed to the United States and Iran, emphasizing that they can contribute to breaking the presidential deadlock. Highlighting the simultaneous visits to Beirut by the Iranian Foreign Minister and the US envoy for border demarcation with Israel, both of whom called for the election of a new head of state, Jumblatt said, directly addressing the two of them, “Can we define the scope of Baabda, Mr. Hochstein, and can we facilitate the election of a president, Mr. Abdollahian?”
Jumblatt also expressed his willingness to “contribute to resolving this difficult but not impossible issue.”
As for Patriarch Rai, he reiterated that the purpose of his visit to the Chouf is to revitalize the reconciliation sealed with Patriarch Sfeir. He emphasized that Lebanon “has become a stranger to itself and cannot remain in this state.”
“The health of Lebanon and the Mountain”
During a meeting organized earlier at the Baakline National Library, the fourth stop on the patriarchal tour, which focused on “reconciliation in the Mountain,” the Maronite Church leader underscored the importance of joint action to preserve national unity. “I will not backtrack on this issue in any way,” he declared.
“When the Mountain is doing well, Lebanon is doing well,” he added. “This is a shared responsibility that falls on all of us.” For the Patriarch, Lebanon’s significance lies in “unity in diversity,” and he continued to claim that “together, we can identify our problems and determine remedies for our suffering. This is what we aspire to with Druze Sheikh al-Akl (Sami Abil-Muna) and people of goodwill. We will not retreat because this is our national duty.”
Druze Sheikh Abil-Muna stressed that “the historic reconciliation of the Mountain was not sealed through an agreement signed by a leader, a patriarch, a sheikh, and witnesses. It was sealed,” he insisted, “in an era of wise men and heroes who reminded us that the Mountain is a story, and history cannot be erased by an incident or confrontation.”
Sheikh Abil-Muna called for a “different type of reconciliation” that would take the form of “practical initiatives to build state institutions and carry out productive projects.” He asked, “Shouldn’t we develop a strategy to rise and rely on ourselves?”
The Druze Sheikh also emphasized the importance of dialogue in breaking the presidential deadlock. “Dialogue is not an end but a means,” he said. “Why not participate in it to bring about a breakthrough in the presidential election?”
Patriarch Rai began his tour of the Chouf with a visit to Chanay, where he was received by the Druze Sheikh al-Akl, who handed him the key to the village. From this town in the Aley district, he called for “building internal unity to preserve Lebanon’s message, which is based on diversity and pluralism. Lebanon cannot be the land of pluralism in unity, the land of openness to all peoples and the land of dialogue if it is not neutral,” he asserted.
Patriarch Rai then visited Barouk and the Maronite archbishopric headquarters in Beiteddine. He presided over a mass at 6:00 PM at the Maronite bishopric headquarters in Beiteddine, marking the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin (September 8). The day concluded with a dinner hosted in his honor by former MP Nehme Tohme at the Mir Amine Palace.
