Dr. Bilal Harmoush, president of the Lebanese Gathering for Justice and Development, expressed his support for the efforts made by opposition forces and their representatives to find a way to rescue Lebanon from the ongoing Israeli assaults in the south. He criticized Hezbollah's unilateral decision regarding war and opening the front without consulting constitutional state institutions. Harmoush emphasized the necessity of holding a session of the Parliament to discuss the situation in the south, aiming to restore normalcy. He believes that deploying the army in the south could effectively enforce a ceasefire rather than continuing an unproductive conflict that has not provided any real support to Gaza.
In a statement today, Harmoush declared that the Parliament is the legitimate authority for making decisions on critical issues. He expressed surprise at attempts to impose an unconstitutional dialogue regarding the presidential elections and the refusal to hold a session to discuss the war decision taken unilaterally by Hezbollah and the conditions in the south, where the residents suffer from killing, displacement, and the loss of their livelihoods. He considered this to be a blatant distortion of the ruling coalition's behavior, which contributes to the fragmentation of national life and divisions among the Lebanese due to its monopolization of decisions regarding war, diplomacy, and peace.
Harmoush affirmed that supporting the Palestinian cause is a national, religious, ethical, and humanitarian duty. However, the realities on the ground have shown that turning the south into a support front has provided the oppressed people of Gaza with nothing but verbal support, which has not alleviated the harshness of the ongoing Israeli aggression of killing and destruction. Therefore, he argued that the front in the south serves only the interests of party and Iranian investments in Lebanon and the region for this war, which is contrary to the national interest of Lebanon.
Harmoush concluded by calling for the deployment of the Lebanese army and support for international forces on the Lebanese-Palestinian border to implement Resolution 1701, and to return to comprehensive national dialogue on protecting Lebanon, restoring state authority, and activating constitutional institutions, especially the presidency, through unconditional elections that would allow Lebanon to navigate the regional and international transformations appropriately.
