Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Condemns Negotiations with Israel, Cites Sovereignty Concerns

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, the Maronite Patriarch of Lebanon, stated that what harms southern Lebanon harms all of Lebanon, and any blood spilled in the south is a wound on the body of all Lebanon. He emphasized that the killing of citizens should not become commonplace, nor should Lebanese villages and towns be turned into arenas of terror, destruction, and death.

Al-Rahi called on the Lebanese government to fulfill its responsibilities towards the land and people of Lebanon throughout the country. Regarding the monopoly of weapons in Lebanon, he asserted that the state’s exclusive control over arms does not signify the dominance of one group over another. He described this as a national principle, not a sectarian or religious issue. The government has the right to make sovereign decisions and is responsible for protecting all its people. Until Lebanon’s sovereignty is fully established internally, it cannot expect others to respect it.

On the matter of the Lebanese government’s negotiations with the Israeli regime, the Maronite Patriarch stressed that negotiations must evolve into a clear process with defined objectives. He insisted that tangible outcomes, such as the cessation of aggressions, implementation of withdrawals, and the establishment of stability, must be achieved. He also called for serious guarantees to preserve Lebanese sovereignty and prevent escalation, warning that negotiations should not become an endless process lacking clear prospects but rather a tool to achieve a definitive solution that safeguards Lebanon’s rights and ends instability.