Latest news with #FreePatrioticMovement
Nahar Net
3 days ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
FPM calls for 'Lebanon's neutrality' in Israel-Iran conflict
by Naharnet Newsdesk 18 June 2025, 16:30 The Free Patriotic Movement said Wednesday that Lebanon should not take part in the Israeli-Iranian conflict as the arch foes traded fire for the sixth day. "The war in the region is concerning and is threatening peace and stability in the region and in Lebanon," the statement said, describing the Israeli strikes on Iran as an aggression and condemning it. "The FPM is against any aggression on the sovereignty of any county." The statement, despite the condemnation, stressed that Lebanon must stay neutral and should not get involved, in order to preserve national interests and the security of the Lebanese people. "Lebanon's national interests require a full commitment to a policy that keeps Lebanon out of foreign conflicts, fortifies the domestic front, enhances stability, and prevents Lebanon from becoming an arena for regional clashes," the FPM said, as it urged international powers to restart nuclear talks and look for peaceful solutions that "preserve countries' sovereignty and spare people in the region more destruction and divisions."
Tayyar.org
3 days ago
- Politics
- Tayyar.org
Bassil's Media Office Denies 'Anonymous' Claim: We Have Repeatedly Affirmed Our Support for a Just Peace That Restores Rights and Ends Aggression
The media office of Free Patriotic Movement Chairman, MP Gebran Bassil, issued the following statement: 'An anonymous and suspicious individual made a false statement on MTV, alleging that former Foreign Minister and FPM leader Gebran Bassil once told members of the Lebanese diaspora in Washington: 'Get rid of Hezbollah and we are ready for peace with Israel.' The media office categorically denies this fabricated claim. Minister Bassil has never made such a statement, and he does not know the person in question—nor whether this individual ever participated in diaspora conferences or meetings, or was involved in the schemes that were previously orchestrated against him and that continue today against the diaspora. Regarding the issue of peace with Israel, Minister Bassil has consistently and publicly reiterated his stance: he supports a just peace—one that ends aggression, restores rights, including Lebanon's occupied territories, and firmly rejects the resettlement of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.'
Tayyar.org
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Tayyar.org
Free Patriotic Movement: We Reject Wars—Lebanon's National Interest Requires Its Neutrality and Non-Involvement in Conflicts
The Free Patriotic Movement issued the following statement: In light of the dangerous military escalation in the region—particularly the Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran—the Free Patriotic Movement expresses deep concern over the potential repercussions of this confrontation on regional security and global stability, as well as its impact on the overall situation in Lebanon. The Movement, while firmly rejecting all forms of warfare and any violation of national sovereignty, reiterates its commitment to international law and stresses the urgent need to protect innocent civilians and shield them from the devastation of violence and conflict, regardless of its source. The Free Patriotic Movement affirms that Lebanon must not be drawn into this conflict. It calls on all parties to work toward insulating Lebanon from any involvement or interference, in order to safeguard its supreme national interest and ensure the security and well-being of its citizens and institutions. The Movement believes that Lebanon's national interest lies in a steadfast commitment to a policy of neutrality, reinforcing internal unity, and preserving national stability. Lebanon must not be allowed to become a battleground for settling regional disputes. The Movement also calls for intensified international and regional efforts to contain the escalation, to resume nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran, and to pursue peaceful solutions that uphold the sovereignty of nations and protect the people of the region from further destruction and division.
MTV Lebanon
11-06-2025
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
Bassil, Le Drian discuss regional and local developments
Free Patriotic Movement leader, MP Gebran Bassil, met with French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, accompanied by French Ambassador Hervé Magro, Romain Calvary, and Marie Favreil. The meeting, also attended by MP Nada Boustani, focused on the latest regional and domestic developments and their implications for Lebanon and the broader region.
The National
04-06-2025
- Business
- The National
Back to square one: Lebanon's local elections have taken the country in the wrong direction
Lebanon recently finished the last round of its municipal elections, and the message was not reassuring. Lists backed by the country's sectarian political parties were largely victorious. This anticipates a period of continued polarisation at a time when Lebanon needs to be unified around a project to benefit from the changing dynamics in the Middle East. Writing in the US-based International Policy Digest, Mohammad Fheili, executive in residence at the American University of Beirut, expressed a more general mood in Lebanon about where the country was going. Commenting on US President Donald Trump's recent tour of the Middle East, Mr Fheili noted that 'Lebanon [was] conspicuously absent from the conversation. Lebanon wasn't simply left off the agenda. It seems to have vanished from it altogether'. The mood among leading parties inside Lebanon seems blithely detached from the broader shifts in the region. The main Christian political party, the Lebanese Forces, took pride in its victories in the towns of Jounieh and Zahleh, while doing well in other Christian bastions. For the party's leader, Samir Geagea, this bodes well for parliamentary elections next year, when the Lebanese Forces hope to form an even larger bloc than the one they have today. Of particular urgency for Mr Geagea is not only to marginalise the Free Patriotic Movement led by Gebran Bassil, but also to push back against any potential electoral challenge by candidates supported by President Joseph Aoun, whom Mr Geagea quietly regards as a rival. Candidates backed by Hezbollah and the allied Amal Movement did well in the south and in the Baalbek-Hermel regions, but that was expected. Following the recent military defeat of Hezbollah by Israel, it was not likely that voters would oppose the party, displaying divisions that would only compound the Shiite community's setbacks because of the war. Similarly, in other areas, candidates backed by the political class did well. This was less visible in the Sunni community, given that Saad Hariri, once the dominant communal representative, failed to engage with the elections. However, renewed Saudi interest in Lebanon, albeit limited, and the downfall of the Assad government in Syria have helped revive a community that had often felt sidelined during the years of Hezbollah's hegemony. Yet if the elections were largely interpreted in domestic political terms by the sectarian political parties, Mr Fheili's doubts were reaffirmed when it comes to the region. A fragmented country, led by self-interested political parties focused on short-term gains to secure communal ascendancy, is hardly one optimally prepared for regional transformations. There may be exceptions to this. As my colleague Maha Yahya of Carnegie has noted, Mr Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Syria may have positive repercussions on Lebanon's banking lobby, which has systematically blocked financial reforms, fearing that banks may be forced to bear the greatest burden of losses from the financial collapse of 2019-2020. Today, if reconstruction resumes in Syria, Lebanon's banking sector anticipates playing a major role in the process. However, this can happen only if it agrees to a restructuring, allowing banks to refloat themselves. Until now, there has been resistance in the sector, both because there has been no agreement over who – banks, the state, or the central bank – would cover the largest share of losses and because restructuring may eliminate several banks. The reality is that many nations appear to have lost patience with Lebanon, which over the years has thwarted numerous efforts to reform its economy. The country is a graveyard for new approaches, as it remains under the thumb of political, financial and commercial cartels that unfailingly shoot down most ideas aiming to break a debilitating stalemate. Yet the message in Mr Trump's visit to the region was fairly evident. He seeks a world in which economic relations and self-interest prevail, but also, it seems, one in which China, Russia and the US have their spheres of influence. If that's his vision, the Middle East will remain an area of competition between the US and China, which implies that the countries of the region have much to gain by positioning themselves between rival superpowers. Yet Lebanon, once the quintessential middle-man country, is devoid of ideas, and is struggling with a geopolitical situation that is catastrophic. Israel's regional strategy has shifted to one of enhancing its security by fragmenting its Arab neighbours, and acting, or planning to act, with impunity inside their territories. This could be fatal for Lebanon. In light of this, Lebanon must press forward in its dialogue with Hezbollah to secure the group's disarmament. Only then will it be able to free the south of Israel's occupation and normalise the situation enough to think strategically about its regional place. This would reassure outside countries that it is progressing enough for them to provide vital foreign investment. But even that may not be enough if Lebanon doesn't overcome its incapacitating sectarian factionalism. Unless this happens and the Lebanese come together to shape a common vision for the future, the country will remain an afterthought – a place bleeding its youth to the advantage of more vibrant societies. Like a dried flower, it will be both beautiful and dead.
