The Kataeb's Political Bureau held its weekly meeting, chaired by Party Leader Samy Gemayel, to discuss the rapidly unfolding regional developments and their potential impact on Lebanon. Following deliberations, the bureau issued the following statement:

1. The Kataeb Party commends the Lebanese state’s firm and decisive commitment to keeping the country out of the raging regional war. It renews its call to uphold the principle that decisions of war and peace must rest exclusively with the state and its legitimate institutions. This, the party emphasizes, can only be achieved by urgently ensuring that all weapons are placed solely under the authority of the Lebanese state.

In light of the unfolding events in the region, Hezbollah is required to make an immediate and clear decision to heed growing demands to hand over its weapons to the Lebanese Army, to cut all foreign ties, and to fully reintegrate into the state which remains Lebanon’s only true protector and common ground for all its citizens. 

Concerned about shielding the Lebanese people from the consequences of any external security escalation, the Kataeb Party calls for the adoption of a comprehensive national emergency plan to ensure the safety of citizens and mitigate potential risks. In this context, the party expresses alarm over the continued presence of flammable materials at the Port of Beirut and calls on the Cabinet to swiftly implement its own decision and allocate the necessary funds to remove these materials, in order to prevent another potential catastrophe.

The party further stresses the need for unified political, security, and diplomatic efforts to create a safe and stable environment that ensures a peaceful summer for residents, expatriates, and tourists alike. It calls on the Ministry of Public Works and Transport to take immediate steps to boost maritime tourism routes to Lebanese ports, particularly Jounieh, to provide an alternative to air travel, should aviation become untenable due to security threats.

2. The Kataeb Party welcomes the long-overdue completion of diplomatic appointments after an eight-year stalemate. It stresses that the time has come to move forward with the remaining appointments and rotations, especially within the judiciary, which have been obstructed for reasons that are no longer a mystery to anyone. Finalizing these appointments has become imperative to restore public confidence in the judiciary and to lay the groundwork for a system of justice that is independent and immune to political meddling.

In this regard, the political bureau expresses its full support for Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who has assumed his responsibilities with seriousness and integrity. The party commends his efforts to reestablish the judiciary as a truly independent authority, free from political manipulation, not as an instrument in the hands of those in power. The bureau maintains that meaningful reform in Lebanon cannot begin without overhauling the judiciary first, because without a strong foundation, all other reforms are bound to collapse. Justice, after all, is the cornerstone of good governance.

Accordingly, the party calls on Parliament to expedite the adoption of critical reform legislation, chief among them the draft law on judicial independence, alongside the banking sector restructuring law and the legislation to lift banking secrecy. It also presses the government to swiftly adopt the financial gap law, which is essential to economic recovery and to convincing the international community that Lebanon is serious about pursuing reform and national renewal.