Kataeb Lawmaker Elias Hankach stated that the political system has no will to manage the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon, saying that “in 2012, the government headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati was united and included Hezbollah and its allies whom refused to regulate foreign labor, thus making the Lebanese face bad choices.”

“Lebanon is on the brink of war and the decision is not in the hands of the authority. Hezbollah destroyed the Lebanese state, sovereignty, and institutions, becoming the determinant of the country’s future whether in peace and war,” Hankach said during an interview with Voice of Lebanon radio station.
 
 “Today the responsibility falls on everyone, but there is a group of MPs who is exerting its utmost efforts to keep Lebanon out of these conflicts and to restore the decision-making power to the Lebanese state. Tomorrow, we, as opposition MPs, will take a confrontational position within the parliament to affirm our rejection of the opposing group’s policy. Meanwhile, there is another group working on disrupting the presidential elections and preventing the return of normalcy to the Lebanese political life,” he stressed.

Hankach emphasized that the fate of Lebanon and the Lebanese is tied to the decisions made by Hezbollah, saying that: “Today, we are facing a historical stage. Lebanon is unable to make the appropriate decisions, extend its authority and deploy its army all over the Lebanese territories to prevent any drift towards war with Israel.”

Regarding the deportation of Syrians, Hankach said: “The General Security Service responsible for deporting the displaced is capable of taking strict measures.”

He said that there are international agreements with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stipulating that Lebanon is not a destination for refugees but rather a transit country.

 “Municipalities are responsible for organizing the displacement, but this issue requires a central decision,” he explained.

 “Lebanon can no longer bear the burden of Syrians refugees. If their return to Syria is impossible, we must work on redistributing them to the Arab and European countries,” Hankach concluded.