According to Abdallah Bou Habib, “Lebanon doesn’t want war and has never sought it.”
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdallah Bou Habib made a passionate appeal for peace in the Middle East based on United Nations international resolutions during a session at the UN Security Council in New York. In his speech at the Glass Palace during a ministerial-level meeting of the Security Council, Bou Habib lamented that the region “has not experienced peace and security” since the creation of the State of Israel 75 years ago.
Acknowledging the prolonged crisis in the Middle East, which is marked by “hatred, bitterness and increased violence” across generations, the caretaker Foreign Minister questioned whether it is time to recognize that no one can eliminate the other, and asked when efforts towards a lasting solution to the Middle East conflict might begin.
Bou Habib also stated, “Past wars and trials, at least over the last 75 years, have shown that we must work to find a definitive solution to the Palestinian issue because it is the key to peace and security in the Middle East. From this podium, I appeal to all the wise people in this world to exert pressure on Israel to end the occupation of Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian lands, so that we can live together and recognize each other based on international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative approved at the 2002 Arab Summit in Beirut, which endorsed the recognition of Israel in exchange for ending the occupation and a two-state solution.”
He emphasized the need to fully implement Security Council Resolution 1701 based on five principles:
– Confirming the international borders of the South between Lebanon and Palestine as defined in 1923 and reaffirmed by the 1949 Armistice Agreement concluded in Rhodes between Lebanon and Israel.
– Permanently ending Israeli violations by air, land and sea, which have reached 30,000 since 2006.
– Assisting the Lebanese government, through the United Nations and friendly countries, in restoring its authority over the entire Lebanese territory and providing the Lebanese army, with UNIFIL support, all the necessary assistance to strengthen its deployment south of the Litani River, in order to prevent any unauthorized armed presence.
– Facilitating the return of displaced persons forced into exodus in border regions after October 7, 2023.
– Ending the war in Gaza.
In conclusion, Bou Habib stressed that “Lebanon does not want war and has never sought it.”
During his stay in New York, the Foreign Minister met with his French counterpart, Stéphane Séjourné, and is expected to hold discussions with UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
