Kataeb MP Elias Hankach announced what he described as a “historic collective legal victory” on Wednesday, saying a decision by the State Shura Council had confirmed the ownership rights of villages and their residents over communal lands across large parts of Mount Lebanon.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Kataeb Party’s headquarters, Hankach said the ruling represented the culmination of a long campaign to protect communal properties and prevent what he described as attempts to undermine collective land ownership rights.

“We promised, and we delivered,” Hankach said. “We promised that we would not allow anyone to seize the properties and communal lands of Mount Lebanon. We promised to protect villages and towns with their communal lands. We promised to reject violations of the Constitution and breaches of real estate ownership rights, and we delivered.”

He said the legal battle covered communal lands belonging to villages and their residents stretching across several areas of Mount Lebanon, including the highlands of Bsharri, Jebbet al-Mnaytra, Tannourine, Aqoura, Keserwan, Baabda, Aley and the Chouf.

Hankach said the Shura Council had officially informed the party of its decision to overturn the implementation of a circular issued by the finance minister, which he said had threatened communal land ownership.

“Today, I announce a historic collective legal victory and the confirmation of ownership of communal lands for villages and the children of these villages in Mount Lebanon,” he said.

Hankach thanked Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel for mobilizing the party’s resources in support of the legal case, as well as lawyer Bashir Murad, the mayor of Roumieh, and the municipal council for their efforts.

The lawmaker criticized political and religious authorities for what he described as a lack of attention to the issue, saying the ruling represented a major achievement with deep historical significance.

“We were surprised that political and religious authorities did not take the matter seriously, while what happened today represents a major step forward,” he said.

He also praised young activists and others who defended the issue, stressing that the struggle was linked to preserving the historical identity and presence of communities in their ancestral lands.

“This issue has a deep historical and national dimension, because it is about remaining in our mountains and villages,” Hankach said. “We assure everyone that we will preserve the land we inherited from our ancestors and that we will remain on it.”

He added that the Kataeb Party and others committed to protecting communal lands would continue their efforts as part of what he called a broader political and national struggle.

“The struggle of the Kataeb Party and all those committed to our presence will remain part of our political struggle and our history,” he said.

Hankach also called for moving forward with the next legal steps following the Shura Council ruling, whether through the final annulment of the disputed measure or through maintaining its suspension.

“We hope to move to the second phase of this annulment or suspension decision, and we hope that attempts at maneuvering will stop,” he said.

The legal dispute erupted after Finance Minister Yassine Jaber issued a circular ordering that unregistered lands and communal properties be registered first in the name of the Lebanese State before potentially being transferred to municipalities. The move sparked opposition in Mount Lebanon, where residents and political groups argued that historic communal lands are protected by longstanding legal traditions and belong collectively to village communities rather than the State.