Bahaa Hariri during a meeting with residents of Qalamoun, at his place of residence in Tripoli, Monday, July 1, 2024. (Credit: Bahaa Hariri's X account)
The spokesperson for Bahaa Hariri — the son of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri and brother of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri — clarified his position on Israel on Friday after an interview raised speculations about his views.
In a Thursday interview with al-Mashhad, Bahaa Hariri was asked if he considers Israel an enemy. He responded by referencing wider regional peace efforts, stating, "There are countries in the Arab world and [Saudi King] Abdullah, who initiated peace in the region, and this is our stance." Furthermore, the 2002 Arab summit in Beirut began efforts to normalize relations with Israel, contingent on the establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank.
سألو مرتين إذا بيعتبر إسرائيل عدوّ وتهرّب من إنّو يجاوب بوضوح، مرتين.. بس هيك❗️
— علي (@allouush) August 8, 2024
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When pressed further by the interviewer for a definitive answer, Hariri responded, “We believe in the law, and Lebanese law prohibits dealing with Israel.”
Clarification from Hariri’s spokesperson
Following the interview, Hariri’s spokesperson, Jerry Maher, refuted claims that Hariri had evaded the question. “On the contrary, Sheikh Bahaa Hariri spoke candidly that under Lebanese law and the constitution, there can be no relationship between any Lebanese individual and Israel. His reluctance to directly label Israel as an enemy was clarified by his response that the Lebanese constitution prohibits any relationship with Israel,” Maher told L'Orient Today.
Maher emphasized that, under Lebanese law, Hariri views Israel as an enemy of Lebanon. He pointed to Hariri’s posts on social media platform X as evidence, highlighting that Hariri has described Israel as an occupying force in Palestine and condemned its actions in Gaza as genocide.
ندين ونشجب ما يتعرض له أهل فلسطين عامة وغزة خاصة من عقاب جماعي و اعتداءات همجية وغير إنسانية من قبل جيش الاحتلال الإسرائيلي، وآخر جرائم الاعتداءات الاسرائيلية قصف مستشفى الأهلي المعمداني وقتل مئات الأبرياء فيه ما يعتبر انتهاكاً صارخاً للقوانين الدولية.
— Bahaa Rafik Hariri (@bahaa_hariri_) October 17, 2023
نطالب المجتمع الدولي بفك…
One of Hariri’s posts from October reads: “We condemn and denounce the collective punishment and the barbaric, inhumane attacks being carried out by the Israeli occupation forces against the people of Palestine, particularly in Gaza. The latest of these Israeli crimes is the bombing of the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, which killed hundreds of innocent people, a blatant violation of international law. We call on the international community to lift the siege on Gaza and to immediately stop the ongoing genocide.”
Maher added, “In any case, Bahaa Hariri prefers to provide detailed answers on some topics and discuss them in greater detail, rather than giving simple yes or no responses.”
Bahaa Hariri has emerged as a political rival to his brother Saad Hariri, who suspended his political career in 2022, after being Lebanon’s most influential Sunni politician for nearly a decade. Compared to his brother, Bahaa has adopted a more critical stance on Hezbollah — which the Special Tribunal for Lebanon accused of involvement in the 2005 assassination of their father, Rafic Hariri.