'We won't give up our land,' reaffirms Joseph Aoun at Arab summit

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Tuesday at an extraordinary Arab summit in Cairo, dedicated to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, that Lebanon would not give up its land and that "every inch" of its territory would be liberated. The Israeli army still maintains positions in southern Lebanon despite its official withdrawal from the country on Feb. 18.

"In my country, just as in Palestine, there are still lands occupied by Israel. Lebanese prisoners are in its jails," Aoun said. "We do not give up our land, we do not forget our prisoners, and we do not abandon them.

"There is no peace without the liberation of every inch of our territory—internationally recognized, documented, validated, and delineated by the United Nations. And there is no peace without a Palestinian state."

Aoun said Lebanon "has suffered greatly but has learned from its sufferings."

"It has learned not to be at the mercy of other people’s wars. It has learned not to be a headquarters or a corridor for foreign policies. It is also not a stronghold for occupations, tutelage, or hegemony," he said.

He also emphasized that Lebanon's "existential interests are with its Arab environment" and that its role in the region is to be "a country of meeting, not a land of conflict."

Shortly before the summit, Aoun met with several representatives of Arab countries, including the U.N. secretary-general, to discuss the situation in southern Lebanon and the presence of Israeli forces at certain points of Lebanese territory.

The Israeli army remains positioned at at least five strategic locations in Lebanese territory due to their elevation, despite its withdrawal from southern Lebanon, which was postponed to Feb. 18 under the cease-fire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel that took effect on Nov. 27.

In his opening speech at the summit, Aoun also said, "There is no peace without the restoration of the Palestinians’ legitimate and complete rights."

"The Palestinian cause is a Palestinian national right, an Arab right, and a global human right. The Palestinian issue requires us to always stand with its people, its choices, and decisions, with its official authorities and its legitimate representatives," he said.

"The Arab dimension of the Palestinian issue requires us all to remain strong so that Palestine is strong," he added. "Because when Beirut is occupied, Damascus is destroyed, Amman is threatened, Baghdad suffers, or Sana'a falls... it is impossible for anyone to claim that it serves Palestine."

Aoun also stressed that "Lebanon's complete and stable sovereignty is strengthened by the full restoration of Syria and the total independence of Palestine."

"Any destabilization of an Arab neighbor is a destabilization for all its neighbors—and vice versa," he said.

He concluded by stating, "Lebanon today reclaims its Arab legitimacy, thanks to you and your constant support."

Arab leaders plan to propose an alternative to the plan of U.S. President Donald Trump, which has been widely criticized and foresees a U.S. takeover of Gaza and the expulsion of its population. After speeches by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, the summit is to continue behind closed doors to approve an Egyptian plan for postwar Gaza, according to the unofficial media outlet al-Qahera News.

Also present in Cairo, new Syrian President Ahmad al-Chareh is participating for the first time in an Arab summit.

The $53 billion Egyptian plan aims to rebuild Gaza over five years and proposes creating an internationally supervised fund to ensure "sustainable funding" and "transparency," according to a draft seen by AFP. The plan ultimately envisions the full return of Palestinian Authority control over the enclave, which has been governed by Hamas since 2007, with a possible international presence.