🚨🇱🇧 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: LEBANON ON THE BRINK OF WAR

I ventured into the heart of Lebanon, a country teetering on the edge of war, to meet the leader of one of Lebanon’s largest political parties.

Mr Gemayel lives under constant threat, with both his brother and uncle having… https://t.co/7oBHHH5ZzL pic.twitter.com/62eShf7M8C

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 29, 2024

Lebanese Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel slammed Hezbollah’s role and influence in Lebanon’s turbulent landscape, blasting the group’s involvement in violence and political suppression.

“Everyone who was targeted by an assassination in the past 15 years was against Hezbollah. So, you ask yourself the question, why and who, and you have a clear answer,” Gemayel said in an interview posted on Mario Nawfal’s page on X.

Gemayel pointed to the high-profile case of PM Rafik Hariri, whose assassination was adjudicated by the International Court of Justice, saying that the fact that Hezbollah members were convicted in this trial serves as a judicial affirmation of the group’s involvement in targeted political violence.

Gemayel defended the Lebanese Army's position and capabilities, arguing that the military, unlike Hezbollah, operates with a clear hierarchical structure and national ideology that bolsters its strength and legitimacy. 

“I think that the army is as strong as Hezbollah if not more,” he said. 

Gemayel expressed openness to dialogue with Hezbollah under specific conditions, emphasizing the need for the group to acknowledge the rule of the Lebanese state and equality among its citizens. 

"Until now, Hezbollah refuses the idea of equality between the Lebanese people, refuses the idea of partnership, and refuses the idea that the constitution is above all. It is violating the Constitution. It is not accepting the rule of law. It is not accepting the sovereignty of the Lebanese state over its territory. So as long as Hezbollah continues to adopt this attitude, dialogue will reach nowhere."

When asked if he would consider an unconditional meeting or call with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, Gemayel’s response was cautiously optimistic. 

"I think it would be yes. What do I have to lose to try to say what I say on the media directly to him?" he remarked, signaling a willingness to confront Hezbollah’s leader directly despite their deep-seated differences.

"I have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. I'm just a Lebanese guy who wants to live in peace in his own country and safeguard the freedom of this country as well as the well-being of our people. This is my interest. I have absolutely no other interest," he asserted.

The Kataeb leader underscored his commitment to a viable solution for Lebanon, provided that it does not compromise its sovereignty or succumb to the pressures of armed militias. 

Imagining a face-to-face conversation with Nasrallah, Gemayel detailed his approach: "I would tell him that my goal is to live with him and all the other Lebanese in peace in this country. I am willing to accept anything, but I cannot accept giving up my freedom and to give up my right to live in peace in my country. Based on that, equality for me is basic. I will never accept to live a second-degree citizen in my own country in which some people have rights that I don't have. This is not something that is acceptable to me."

“The only thing I want is to live in equality with the other Lebanese under the rule of law and to be able to live in peace with all the other Lebanese. This is all I want.”

Highlighting the ideological divide, Gemayel questioned Nasrallah's commitment to Lebanon over Iran’s broader regional ambitions. 

"Are you willing, Mr. Nasrallah, to put Lebanon first? Would you put Lebanon first in your way of thinking or it would still be the whole cause of Iran and the Shia in the world?" he asked, pointing out the expansionist ideology of Iran that influences Hezbollah's actions.

Gemayel expressed concern over Hezbollah's readiness to sacrifice Lebanese lives for foreign causes, particularly in the context of the conflict with Israel. 

"I fear that Hezbollah is ready to give up 600 Lebanese young guys, very strong, very competent people, but totally brainwashed to defend a cause that has absolutely nothing to do with Lebanon. You know that Hezbollah opened this front from Lebanon on the 8th of October, with a totally foreign agenda… they dragged Lebanon into a front with Israel on the 8th of October to support Hamas, not to defend Lebanon. And today, they come and say, 'We are defending Lebanon.' No, you are not defending Lebanon. You decided to open fire. You decided to open this front. You decided to open the front on the 8th of October and you have said this yourselves. Hezbollah is saying, 'We opened the front on the 8th of October to support Hamas.' Then, a few months later, they come and say, 'We are defending Lebanon.' No, you are not. You decided to open this front," Gemayel stated.

Gemayel acknowledged that neither Israel nor Hezbollah wants an all-out war, stressing that Hezbollah’s actions are framed as a strategic move to assert Iranian influence in the region rather than a direct confrontation with Israel. 

"Hezbollah wants to make a statement that the only power in the region that actually supported Gaza is Iran and to position Iran as the leader in the Islamic world," Gemayel said. "For Iran to become more influential in the Arab and Islamic world, it cannot promote Persian culture or Shia ideology, as most Muslims are neither Persian nor Shia. The only thing Iran can promote to increase its influence is the Palestinian cause."

By championing the Palestinian cause, he added, Iran aims to gain widespread support among Muslims, who view the Palestinian struggle as a unifying symbol.

Therefore, Gemayel portrayed both Hezbollah and Israel as engaging in a precarious balancing act, explaining that Hezbollah’s strategy aims to make a statement without risking an all-out war that could jeopardize its existence, while Israel’s reluctance to open another front, particularly given its ongoing challenges in Gaza, reflects a strategic calculation to avoid further escalation.

"It took [Israel] nine months and they still haven't finished with Gaza. It will not be easy for them to explain to their people that they are opening another front and that they are ready to go in and put thousands of deaths in Lebanon with boots on the ground."

Gemayel criticized Hezbollah for acting unilaterally, lashing out at the party for dragging Lebanon into a war without the consent of the Lebanese government or its people.

"Hezbollah opened this front without asking the permission of anyone... The Lebanese people are hostages in this situation," he lamented. 

“You have no right to decide on our behalf if we go to war or not. It is not acceptable for us as a sovereign people who have the right to decide our own fate and future to be kidnapped and dragged into a war no one wanted. That's Just for Iran to make a nice stunt.” 

Regarding Israel's potential objectives, Gemayel was skeptical of any intentions to eradicate Hezbollah entirely. 

"I don't think that Israel will have any objective that could be to end Hezbollah. I don't see it," he said. Instead, he suggested that Israel might aim for a buffer zone in the south to protect its borders.

"The maximum they can do is push Hezbollah 10 kilometers north."

Reflecting on Iran’s recent direct drone attack on Israel, Gemayel called them staged events designed to save face rather than genuine escalations. 

"They even said how, when, and where they were going to attack," he noted, indicating a level of forewarning and coordination with the United States.

Gemayel issued a broader call for the international community to address the root causes of violence in the Middle East, pointing to Iran's destabilizing influence in the region.

"As long as the international community is allowing Israel to continue its policy of no-solution for the Palestinians, violence will keep on going," he stated. “As long as we're letting Iran become more influential and keep on arming and destabilizing all the countries in the region, sending weapons to Hezbollah, sending weapons to the Houthis, and financing all sorts of armed groups all over the region… violence will continue.”

Gemayel unequivocally stated that the path to lasting peace in the Middle East hinges on the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state, emphasizing that without granting Palestinians the right to a state with full sovereignty, there can be no peace for Israel or the broader region.

"There would be no peace in Israel without a two-state solution," Gemayel declared. "You have to give the Palestinians the right to a sovereign state with all the rights granted in a sovereign state: a president, a foreign policy, a real government, an airport. They should not be trapped in their territory without having any rights."

"There is no other solution. There is no peace for Israel and the Israeli people if they don't accept the idea of a Palestinian state. The two-state solution is the basis for any solution," Gemayel continued, describing the Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank as a "suicide mission” that not only endangers Israelis and Palestinians but also jeopardizes the entire region's stability.

When asked if he would take the opportunity to speak with the Prime Minister of Israel, Gemayel responded firmly, “No, because today, we are in a state of war. I'm not in an official position as the Lebanese president or the Lebanese Prime Minister to open negotiations with a country which I'm at war with.” 

He made it clear that it is not the role of individual politicians to initiate dialogue with Israel, but rather the responsibility of the Lebanese government. 

“I've been calling for the Lebanese government to open a negotiation between Lebanon and Israel to stop all kinds of belligerence on the borders and to go back to the truce that was enacted in 1948,” Gemayel stated.

Gemayel also touched on the broader implications of recognizing Israel, pointing out that the Lebanese government had already engaged in negotiations regarding maritime borders. 

“By accepting to negotiate with Israel on the demarcation of maritime borders, you've recognized it already,” he said.

Gemayel argued that Hezbollah uses the conflict with Israel as a propaganda tool rather than a genuine effort to eliminate the state of Israel.

“Hezbollah's goal is not to eliminate Israel. Hezbollah's goal is not to help the Palestinian people. Hezbollah's goal is to promote the influence of Iran in the region,” he asserted, highlighting the inaction of Hezbollah during critical moments, such as the attacks on October 7th.

Asked if he considers Hezbollah as a terrorist organization as labeled by the West, Gemayel noted that the group’s actions add weight to this perception.  

“If I believe that Hezbollah is committing assassinations, do you call this terrorism? If yes, then the answer is yes,” he remarked, describing Hezbollah as “an armed militia that is using violence to control my country, that is funded, financed, and armed by Iran, that is doing Iran's interests in the region and dragging my country into an all-out war.”

When discussing solutions for Lebanon’s internal challenges, Gemayel stressed the need for equality and adherence to the rule of law. 

“We should all be equals. There is the rule of law. We have one army,” he declared, calling for Hezbollah to integrate its military capabilities into the Lebanese army and to allow the Lebanese people, through their government, to determine the country's strategy. 

“The strategy should be put by the Lebanese government that represents the democratically elected parliament by the Lebanese people. This is how countries work,” he insisted.

Gemayel acknowledged the difficult circumstances in Lebanon, exacerbated by Hezbollah’s presence and influence. 

“It's not normal because they are here. This is why we are not living in normal circumstances… because Hezbollah is there,” he said, reiterating that Hezbollah's actions and allegiance to Iran undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty and democratic processes.

Gemayel dismissed the notion that Hezbollah serves as a necessary deterrent against Israeli aggression, saying that Israel has no ambition to colonize Lebanon.

He explained that historical evidence supports this view, noting that during Israel's occupation of South Lebanon from 1978 to 2000, there was no attempt to establish permanent settlements or infrastructure, unlike what happened in the Golan Heights. 

“They didn’t try to do colonization to occupy a territory. When they occupied the Golan, for example, they built infrastructure, they brought people to live there. In South Lebanon, they didn’t do that.”

Instead, Gemayel argued, the presence of Hezbollah itself provokes potential threats from Israel, deeming this provocative stance as more of a liability than a protective measure.

“If you want to defend Lebanon, you just get in the army. You put all your missiles and all your military capabilities in the hands of the army. You let your guys, who are good fighters, join the army. You let the Lebanese people decide how to deal with Israel, not you.” 

“Hezbollah is not considering Lebanon's interests. It doesn't work based on the will of the Lebanese people, but based on that of Iran,” he pointed out. This external influence, he argued, is detrimental to Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability. 

“Do you find it normal to have an armed militia taking orders from a foreign country and taking a country hostage? Is this acceptable?”

Discussing Iran’s strategic interests, Gemayel differentiated between Hezbollah and other regional actors like Hamas. 

“Hezbollah is a product of Iran. It's a totally different ball game. Hamas is a Sunni organization that decided to ally with Iran later on. Hezbollah was created by Iran; created from scratch. They sent people to Lebanon. They recruited Lebanese people. They sent them to Iran to train them. They finance them, arm them. They created them.” 

This deep-rooted connection, he explained, is why Iran prioritizes Hezbollah over Hamas, seeing it as an integral part of its regional influence.