The political body of the "Free Patriotic Movement" held its regular meeting chaired by MP Gebran Bassil, discussing its agenda and issuing a statement expressing "the movement's concern over the Israeli military escalation against Lebanon, accompanied by threats." It noted that "Israel repeats its aggression at the beginning of summer to undermine the economy and tourism movement, and it is surprising that there are responsible parties in Lebanon, whether knowingly or unknowingly, discouraging expatriates and tourists, as evidenced by Middle East Airlines raising travel ticket prices to Lebanon. Therefore, the political body demands a decision to end the exclusivity that Middle East Airlines has benefited from at the expense of a wide range of Lebanese, especially students."
The statement added: "The movement appreciates Patriarch Raï's invitation to spiritual and political leaders for a meeting in Bkerke on the occasion of the visit of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican. The movement considers the personal absence of some Christian party leaders a negative stance not only towards Bkerke but also towards the Vatican and the principle of meeting and dialogue. What does it mean to reject national dialogue, Christian-Islamic dialogue, and Christian-Christian dialogue except to obstruct solutions and prolong the presidential vacuum?"
The "Free Patriotic Movement" emphasized its "determination to continue following up on the presidential election files and exerting all efforts to end the presidential vacuum," holding "the obstructive parties responsible for the void," and affirming its "readiness to consult with other parties and fulfill the conditional dialogue in holding consecutive election sessions over several days, as agreed upon with the Speaker of the Parliament," considering that "refusal to consult, whatever the reasons, falls under obstruction and serves those who are hindering the entitlement."
