Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai during Christmas mass in Bkirki, Dec. 25, 2023. (Credit: X/@bkerki)
Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai called on Saturday for Lebanon not to be dragged into the Gaza war but rather for the finding of "solutions through negotiations and diplomacy" to the cross-border fighting in south Lebanon. The conflict, which has been affecting southern Lebanon since Oct. 8, the day after the start of the Hamas movement's Al-Aqsa Flood operation, has left more than 170 dead in Lebanon, mostly Hezbollah fighters but also at least 20 civilians.
"We do not want Lebanon and its people to bear the brunt of other nations and peoples. We are committed to Resolution 1701 and to preventing Lebanon and the Lebanese from entering the Israeli war against Gaza," the prelate said in his homily delivered on the occasion of the Feast of the Epiphany.
"We call for a halt to the war and for solutions to be found through negotiations and diplomacy," he added, pointing out that "the inhabitants of the localities of southern Lebanon are suffering under the weight of this war."
While Rai recalled "the right of the Palestinian people to return to their land and live in a state of their own," he stressed that "decisions concerning war and peace are the exclusive responsibility of the government" — an indirect criticism of Hezbollah, which has been fighting Israel on Lebanon's southern border since Oct. 8.
This is not the first time Rai has used a homily to call for an end to the war in Gaza and for the Lebanese to be spared its fallout.
South Lebanon has been the scene of almost daily exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli army since Oct. 8, displacing 76,018 people, according to a report published Thursday by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The cross-border violence has claimed 175 lives in Lebanon, including 129 Hezbollah fighters and more than 20 civilians, including three journalists, according to an AFP count.
Rai's remarks came as Hezbollah fired 62 rockets against the Israeli base at Meron on Saturday morning, in what the party described as "the first riposte" to an attack, blamed on Israel, which killed Hamas No. 2 Saleh al-Arouri on Tuesday in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
It is against this backdrop that the EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, visited Beirut on Saturday to hold "important meetings … on the impact of the Gaza war on Lebanon and the region."
"The priority is to avoid regional escalation and to advance diplomatic efforts to create the conditions for a just and lasting peace between Israel, Palestine and the region," Borrell said on the social platform X.
The diplomat met with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and plans to meet with other officials, such as caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib.
On Friday, during a televised speech Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah opened the door to possible negotiations after the Gaza war. He spoke of an "historic opportunity" for Lebanon to liberate all its territory "once the page of war has been turned." His message was addressed to the United States, and in particular to its presidential envoy, Amos Hochstein, who is currently in Tel Aviv to continue negotiations for a political settlement of the conflict with Lebanon.
