A consultative meeting was held on Thursday by the Ministry of Justice and the Lebanese Foundation for Permanent Civil Peace (LFPCP) to discuss mechanisms for implementing Article 95 of the Constitution, which envisages the creation of a National Authority to abolish sectarianism and political sectarianism. The session took place as part of the project “Building Lebanon’s Future: A Multi-Directional Approach to State-Building and Recovery” at the Ministry’s conference hall.

Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel delivered a keynote address, warning that the ongoing constitutional debate in Lebanon is being raised “in the wrong context” and that the country’s fundamental issues have yet to be clearly identified.

“The Constitution must reflect a genuine need, and we have not yet defined this need, nor have we engaged in a dialogue evaluating a century of statehood experience,” he said.

Gemayel stressed that Lebanese citizens have been deeply divided for the past century, arguing that the current system has failed to alleviate mutual fears and concerns, instead contributing to societal fragmentation.

“Fear still persists, and demographic and existential anxieties remain taboo topics that we do not discuss openly,” he said.

He cautioned against rushing into constitutional or institutional reforms, noting that proposals for solutions are premature without first confronting the underlying problems.

“We cannot jump to legal texts before confronting the truth. We are proposing solutions without even agreeing on what the problem is,” Gemayel said, adding that ignoring or covering up crises risks their resurgence in the future.

The Kataeb leader also highlighted that these challenges had prompted his earlier proposal for a Truth and Reconciliation Conference. He stressed that such a conference should be held under the auspices of the President of the Republic and only after resolving the issue of non-state weapons.

“We cannot engage in a free dialogue while illegal weapons remain present. After this issue is settled, we need a genuine national reckoning to chart the course for the next phase,” he said.