The head of the Kataeb Party, MP Sami Gemayel, pointed out that the security threat has always existed and will continue to exist as long as there are free voices in Lebanon since the killing machine is still present. He stated, "We have a history in Lebanon filled with free individuals who have been assassinated, including my brother Pierre and dear friends and companions such as Antoine Ghanem and Gebran Tueni." In an interview with Sky News Arabia, he said, "The threat exists, and the logic of cancellation is ongoing, not to mention that the assassination of activist Loukman Slim took place two years ago." He added, "They openly announce on all social media the shedding of blood and openly threaten with murder by the mouthpieces of Hezbollah, and I have not been officially informed, but all the talk we hear from them is a death threat."
Regarding the possibility of a Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiation, Gemayel said: "We consider that there are no players on either the Israeli or the Palestinian side, and this is the great disaster that is sweeping across the region as a whole, for there are two parties neither of whom have the maturity or capacity to reach logical solutions; extremism on one side is met with extremism on the other, and the Israeli government has proven to be an extremist government that does not want solutions, while Hamas, which we all know what its ideology is."
On the issue of Lebanon being held hostage, Gemayel commented: "We consider that the state today consists of an authority that is a group of allies to Hezbollah, who came to power through the alliance with the party. Therefore, the government was formed by the party with its allies, meaning the government is subordinate to it, and President Nabih Berri is an ally of the party, and thus subordinate to it. Hence, we consider that Hezbollah has managed to take control of the official state, and we fear that this control will also be entrenched in the upcoming presidential elections."
He stated that the Lebanese state is subject to the will and desire of Hezbollah and is being held hostage, as Hezbollah has been obstructing the election of a new president for a year and a half, which affects the possibility of forming a new government in Lebanon. He noted that the parliament is not convening because there is no president, and the institutions are not operational, and the government is unable to function normally.
On the possibility of Lebanon signing a peace agreement with Israel, Gemayel stated: "This matter is not on the table today in any way, as long as Israel is in a state of hostility with Lebanon. We consider that Israel is an aggressor against Lebanon, and we have a large number of problems with it, such as border demarcation and the issue of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, along with ongoing violations of Lebanese sovereignty both in the air and on the ground, and thus we have many issues with it, and peace is not on the table today."
He added, "The bully leads us back to the armistice agreement, and we must at least return to a suspension of tension in the south so that our people can return to their homes, create a state of stability, and restore the logic of the state, allowing Hezbollah to play by the rules of the constitution, law, and equality among Lebanese, so we can later work towards long-term solutions regarding our southern borders with Israel."
On who bears responsibility for violating Resolution 1701, Gemayel said: "Both sides are violating Resolution 1701. Hezbollah has decided to open a front in support of Gaza, and it has announced this, stating in its official statements that it bombed this site and that one in support of the resistance in Gaza, saying that it opened the southern front in support of what is happening in Gaza, thus violating Resolution 1701. Meanwhile, Israel is violating Lebanon's sovereignty both in the air and on the ground, bombing Lebanon, and thus we have entered a cycle of action and reaction, and the responsibility lies with both parties. The solution is for the Lebanese state to regain its sovereignty and enforce the implementation of Resolution 1701 and have the army deployed across the entire border in cooperation with UNIFIL." He stressed that the unity of the arenas violates the Lebanese people's right to self-determination and is evidence that there is a faction deciding on behalf of the Lebanese that all of Lebanon should be part of a regional war led by Iran in the region.
Regarding whether the army is capable of securing the borders, Gemayel said: "We believe that if the army is tasked with such missions, it will certainly require international support, and we need this international support to strengthen the army."
