Members of the opposition, change-makers, and independents issued a joint statement regarding Hezbollah's recent maneuvers. The lawmakers, in their joint statement, noted that "Hezbollah launched a campaign of messages to both the internal and external fronts through the military maneuver it conducted, which 'challenges the majority of Lebanese people and the content of the Arab summit declaration in Jeddah.'"
According to the lawmakers, Hezbollah aimed to "make it clear to everyone that its sovereignty surpasses that of the Lebanese state, that there is no sovereignty of the state over its land, and that there is no decision in Lebanon that contradicts its will and the will of the regional axis it belongs to." They stated that "the regular functioning of the state in Lebanon, from electing a president to rebuilding the executive authority, is contingent upon this present weapon."
The statement continued: "The party is telling us, through its military maneuver, that this weapon protects the corrupt, disrupts institutions such as the government and the parliament, prevents reform, halts the collapse, undermines Lebanon's relations with both the international and Arab communities, and indicates to the Arabs that the sixth item of the Jeddah declaration, which decisively rejected armed militias outside the state's institutions, does not concern it as it considers itself the state."
In light of this new challenge, the signatory lawmakers declare the following:
First: What Hezbollah did in its military display is merely a manifestation of the militia-like behavior it has practiced for years, fully contradicting the concept of the state by all its standards.
Second: In substance, Hezbollah's abnormal condition no longer has a place in Lebanese political life and has become rejected by the majority of the Lebanese people. No matter how significant the stature of any party may be, it has no right to drag Lebanon into conflicts that serve only its regional project, and cannot thus impose its political, military, security, or economic agendas on the Lebanese state, regardless of its extensive assaults on its fundamental existence.
Third: It has become clear that the state of Lebanon cannot coexist with the statelet of Hezbollah; thus, resolving this dilemma has become an urgent necessity by ending Hezbollah's armed state through implementing the Taif Agreement and the constitution derived from it, which stipulated:
- Disbanding militias and restricting arms to state and legal security institutions.
- Implementing UN Security Council resolutions 1559 and 1701.
- Ceasing military and security interventions carried out by Hezbollah abroad and stopping interference in the internal affairs of Arab states.
- Dismantling the parallel economy that Hezbollah established through smuggling across legal and illegal crossings, encouraging tax evasion, and protecting corruption.
- Allowing Hezbollah to conduct its political activities like other Lebanese parties within the framework of the constitution, Lebanese laws, democracy, and respecting public freedoms.
In conclusion, "Hezbollah and its allies, both domestically and regionally, must realize, once and for all, that the Lebanese people will not submit to the logic of power and weapons, no matter what sacrifices it may cost them. Thus, the signatories reaffirm their commitment to defending Lebanon's identity and existence by all political means, while also asserting their rejection of any compromise or settlement with weapons at the expense of the state and its absolute sovereignty over its territories and internal and external decisions, which can only be exercised through its legitimate institutions without any guardian or partner."
