The Kataeb party stressed on Tuesday that Monday’s military developments in southern Lebanon (Hezbollah rocket fire, infiltration of Palestinians into Israel, and Israeli bombardments) “threaten to plunge the country into a new war it doesn’t need.”
In a statement issued on Tuesday at the end of its weekly meeting chaired by party leader Samy Gemayel, the Kataeb political bureau said this would serve as “a plan aimed at reinforcing the balance of power in the region and giving priority to foreign interests at the expense of the Lebanese interest.”
He also rejected “the use of Lebanese territory in connection with developments on the Palestinian scene,” adding that “neither Hezbollah nor any Palestinian faction can speak on behalf of Lebanon regarding war or peace, as this is a decision for the Lebanese state and its institutions.”
Consequently, “Lebanon must not be drawn into the ongoing clashes in Gaza,” the party warned, adding that “any imprudent action will have consequences that Lebanon must not bear, especially in the situation of collapse that all sectors and institutions are experiencing.”
The Kataeb party called on the international community to intervene with the parties concerned to avoid a conflagration on the South Lebanon front. It also called on the army to maintain calm along the Blue Line.
Finally, it urged the Arab and international community “to take a bold decision that would put an end to the injustice and oppression suffered by the Palestinian people, based on the Arab peace initiative launched at the Beirut Summit in 2002, which recommended the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.”
