Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said that it is not possible to comment on newly elected Donald Trump's win in the 47th U.S. presidential elections noting that he won't comment on it "until four years from now," when Trump's era is over, Berri told the Mustaqbal online news website Thursday. He added that Trump signed a "written commitment" to negotiate towards a cease-fire in Lebanon upon his victory.
In his interview, Berri also noted that he will urge the displaced to head back to their homes and towns the moment a cease-fire deal is reached even if "they have to sleep on the ground."
When asked why Trump received substantial support from Lebanese and Arabs in Michigan, Berri answered, "Because of Joe Biden's policy, which watched passively as children were killed in Gaza and Lebanon." When questioned about the Republican president's "promises," he commented, "Trump signed a written commitment to a cease-fire in Lebanon upon his victory, at Hassan Abbas's restaurant."
@alarabiya ترمب يزور مطعماً لبنانياً في ميشيغان ويؤكد: أعرف الكثير من الناس من لبنان. نحن بحاجة إلى إنهاء القصة هناك ونريد السلام #العربية #ترمب #الانتخابات_الأميركية ♬ الصوت الأصلي - العربية
Hassan Abbas is a Lebanese-American restaurant owner in Michigan. Trump visited his restaurant prior to his election and promised that "he will bring peace and end wars" if he is elected.
حسن عباس صاحب المطعم بميتشچن الذي مضىُعنده ترامب ورقة إنهاء العدوان على لبنان 🇱🇧 pic.twitter.com/k6hdgLAHdE
— mohamedsbeity (@mohamedsbeity2) November 6, 2024
According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, around 3,002 people were killed by Israel and 13,942 injured by Israel's attacks against Lebanon since Oct.8, when Hezbollah opened a "support front" to Gaza from southern Lebanon.
Without aligning himself explicitly with Trump, Berri noted that what the president-elect "has achieved is unprecedented in American history for two reasons: Firstly, this is the first time a candidate won the presidency after previously losing it. Secondly, he has managed to secure the presidency along with both the House and Senate, as well as the Judiciary, which is also unprecedented."
Berri declined to engage in discussions about the future of Shiites in Lebanon, stating, "I do not respond to this kind of sectarian rhetoric." He added that all Lebanese are suffering and that no one can replace anyone else.
The Speaker praised the Lebanese for hosting the displaced from the South, Beqaa and the southern suburbs, saying, "The support from Christians is no less than that from Muslims. Recently, I was told that the people of Deir al-Ahmar, who welcomed displaced people from Baalbeck, refused to call them displaced. They told them, 'We are the guests, and you are the homeowners.'"
Berri concluded by saying, "In 2006, when the cease-fire was reached, I called on the people of the South to return to their homes, and they returned the very next day. Today, if a cease-fire is achieved, the people of the South, Beqaa and the southern suburbs will return to their villages, even if they have to sleep on the ground. In 2006, I urged them to return, and they did so immediately. Today, I will do so again."