The head of the "Free Patriotic Movement," MP Gebran Basil, affirmed that "thousands of displaced persons cross the borders through illegal and well-known crossings with international encouragement and internal collusion," warning of an "inevitable existential danger to Lebanon," and calling for "closing the borders."
In a speech from Baalbek-Hermel, Basil stated, "The number of displaced persons has become greater than the land's capacity to accommodate them. Politically, we have resisted and borne all pressures to the point of sanctions, but Lebanon cannot bear it, and the danger has become significant." He questioned, "Where is the Lebanese government in response to the alarming situation that suggests the permanence of the displaced? Where is the political and military security decision that practices neutrality in controlling the borders? The time has come, and the truths are gradually revealing themselves while they blame us for targeting the leadership of the army and agencies."
He added, "The army is in our eyes and hearts, and we know what it does, how it raids camps, and seizes weapons. We do not speak of it as an institution, but we know where there is procrastination and negligence. We speak of individuals and leaders within it who are politically colluding and financially benefiting from smuggling networks. We do not speak personally about anyone despite all the information we have from October 17 to this day, but we are responsible people for a nation threatened with disappearance and a people threatened with displacement. We cannot remain silent when we see those responsible for its protection, and many do not fulfill their duties. Why are there individuals and groups able to prevent Syrians from entering certain areas like this one, yet they do not prevent their entry in Akkar?"
Basil continued, "The conspirators have not surrendered and continue with dismantling means for communities, such as blockades and displacement. The blockade on Syria remains a source of displacement for its people, and the displaced in Lebanon remain a source of existential danger to it."
He confirmed: "Our goal is to transition Lebanon to a new economic and financial system that includes production and individual initiative, which requires the election of a president who is committed to such a model and to structural reforms of the state, 'not a president who is merely in the good graces of a system that benefits from its advantages.'"
During his visit to the town of Al-Qaa today, Basil inaugurated a drinking water well and laid a wreath at the graves of the town's martyrs, in the presence of MP Samer Al-Toum, former MP Marwan Fares, village chiefs, and dignitaries.
