Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel said that the decisions being taken today, particularly those aimed at restricting weapons to the State, serve Lebanon’s national interest, not the agendas of any foreign powers or political factions.

Speaking in an interview on LBCI, Gemayel said Lebanon’s priority should be to secure stability and prevent war or aggression, even if that means holding direct negotiations with Israel to reach a security agreement, reactivate the armistice, or potentially sign a peace accord, describing these as “details.”

“The decisions we are taking today are for Lebanon’s interest, not anyone else’s,” Gemayel said. “Our goal is to protect the country from war and destruction, and if that requires direct negotiations with Israel, whether for a security deal, border demarcation, or peace. These are all details that serve the same purpose: stability.”

“I support anything that protects Lebanon, including talks with both Syria and Israel, if that guarantees our stability, security, and prosperity,” he said.

Peace, he pointed out, does not necessarily mean normalization.

“Between Egypt and Israel there is peace, not normalization. They don’t sit together, but there’s no shelling, and their borders are stable,” he said. “The same applies to Jordan, which is now a stable country focused on internal development. Lebanon deserves that same sense of safety.”

He said international or U.S. guarantees could help preserve peace better than the presence of militias “whose only function is to create instability with Israel.”

Gemayel questioned why Hezbollah was allowed to negotiate with Israel in 2006 to retrieve its captives, while the Lebanese State is denied the right to do the same for the benefit of all its citizens.

“Are we expected to remain in a perpetual state of war and conflict?” he asked.

He said Lebanon cannot transition from a state of confrontation to one of peace without addressing core issues such as border demarcation, Israel’s withdrawal from occupied territories, the return of prisoners, the end of sovereignty violations, and the Palestinian question.

“Once these matters are resolved, the Lebanese state can decide whether to stop there or move further,” he said. “That decision must belong to the state, not any armed group.”

Gemayel emphasized that the effort to confine weapons to the Lebanese State is not a political maneuver but a national necessity.

“We have rejected illegal weapons for 30 years because they undermine the authority of the State,” he said. “Our stance has always been driven by what Lebanon needs, not by others’ agendas."

He noted that the positions taken by the president and prime minister reflect Lebanon’s interests, even if they happen to align with those of the international community.

Asked whether Lebanon has an interest in peace with Israel, Gemayel said stability is crucial to rebuild investor confidence and to ensure that residents of southern Lebanon “no longer live in fear that their homes will be destroyed or their children killed, as has happened for 40 years.”

He said the people of the south have alternately suffered under Palestinian factions, Hezbollah’s dominance, and Israeli aggression, stressing that they now deserve to live in the same stability as the people of Beirut.

“I support anything that protects Lebanon, including talks with both Syria and Israel, if that guarantees our stability, security, and prosperity,” he said.

Gemayel said Hezbollah’s arms have lost their justification, noting that the army has been confiscating missiles and dismantling defenses south of the Litani River without encountering resistance.

“Hezbollah has accepted a weapons-free south, which invalidates the notion of resistance,” he said. “If the party truly cares about the people of the south, it should be honest with them."

He praised Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri for publicly supporting the idea that weapons should be restricted to the State, saying the Amal Movement’s doctrine differs from Hezbollah’s.

“Berri doesn’t follow Iran’s Wilayat al-Faqih; his movement is civilian, not religious,” Gemayel said. “However, he faces a dilemma between preserving Shiite unity with Hezbollah and maintaining Lebanon’s relationship with the international community. At some point, he will have to choose between building a State and keeping Lebanon a playground for militias.”

On domestic affairs, Gemayel urged the government to submit a draft electoral law to Parliament that would allow Lebanese expatriates to vote for all 128 MPs.

“It’s unacceptable to remain in this state of uncertainty just one month before registration closes,” he said, adding that he is coordinating with both the president and the prime minister to move the proposal forward.

Gemayel also renewed his call for judicial independence, transparency in financial investigations, and urgent measures to address the financial gap and protect depositors amid Lebanon’s economic crisis.

He praised former President Amine Gemayel for passing a 1987 law prohibiting the sale of Lebanon’s gold reserves, saying it “preserved a vital financial asset for future generations.”

Gemayel concluded that Lebanon now has “a historic opportunity to restore its sovereignty and stability,” stressing that peace and prosperity can only be achieved when the country prioritizes its own interests above all others.

“Our goal should be peace, not war,” he said. “We cannot continue living in a permanent state of self-destruction. The decisions we take today must be for Lebanon, and for Lebanon alone.”