Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri praying at his father's grave in Beirut, Feb. 14, 2024. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced on Saturday that the party he led, the Future Movement, would "intensify" its work, but not in the political arena, reports the official National News Agency (NNA).
As the son of the late Rafik Hariri, assassinated in Beirut on Feb. 14, 2005, he held talks on Saturday with several local political and religious figures at the party's headquarters, three days after the national tribute to his father.
"The Future Movement has remained effective over these two years, but we will now intensify our work. Not in politics, but we assure that any attempt to restrict the leadership of the Future Movement, within and outside the state, will not go unanswered," said Hariri in a speech delivered on Jan. 24, 2022.
Regarding his exit from politics, Hariri added, "I took this decision when I saw that the old faces were repeating themselves, with the same positions and the same mentality. As a political current, the Future Movement will not be able to succeed, even though this is the goal of all political work," he continued.
'My practice was different'
"The phase Lebanon is currently going through is a period of political madness. Each camp thinks it's bigger than the country, and is stubborn in its positions. My political practice was different. We forged a confrontational link with Hezbollah, and we put forward all the disagreements that were taking place with the other players" on the Lebanese political scene, he said.
"I never cared what people said about me, because my main goal was to achieve success and reform. Unfortunately, the present mentality has led me to think that I have achieved nothing, and that's why I have suspended my political work. Perhaps one day people will see what I've suffered in attempts at betrayal and massive accusations," he added.
"If I had stayed in politics, I would have been forced to negotiate again, to make arrangements and take them on alone, whereas such a responsibility falls to everyone. Today, everyone claims to love Saad Hariri. I've decided to step aside and let people see the truth," he concluded.
Hariri now resides in the United Arab Emirates. But his return to Beirut this year was closely scrutinized by political figures and Future Movement supporters alike. Some hope that he will return to the Lebanese political scene, as the Sunni community has been unable to unite around a leader since his departure.
This article was originally published in L'Orient-Le Jour.