MP Hassan Fadlallah in southern Lebanon, May 31, 2025. (Credit: Mountasser Abdallah)
Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah stated on Saturday that "some of the government's positions are not only outside the context of the ministerial declaration but are also clearly opposed to it," and went as far as to accuse the government of "evading its responsibilities and commitments on the basis of which it gained the confidence of Parliament."
"It is clear that the government did not read the ministerial declaration, and perhaps does not know on what basis it came to power. The government obtained confidence based on a set of commitments, but some of its members want to retain only a phrase or a word, as if the implementation of its commitments were partial and random, according to the wishes of certain individuals or following orders received from abroad," he stated.
The MP was speaking in the village of Zaoutar in southern Lebanon during a ceremony in honor of the families of victims of his party's war against Israel. His statements were part of a campaign against Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who repeated several times this week the need for the monopoly of weapons to rest in the hands of the state, which implied disarming Hezbollah. This final point has been on the table since the setback suffered by the party in its latest conflict with Israel in 2023-2024, which decimated its leadership and caused immense destruction in areas where it maintains a strong base of support. Its disarmament was also a demand of the international community, notably the United States.
Fadlallah said that the Salam government had not yet implemented the first three commitments of the ministerial declaration, namely the reconstruction of destroyed regions, the protection of borders and the liberation of territories still occupied by the Israeli army.
"Don't ask us to implement the ministerial declaration before the government does its part; we have already fulfilled our commitments at all levels," he stated. However, the MP said that the party was concerned with civil peace and coexistence, and that it will not pave the way for those who want to drag the country into tensions and dissensions.
The cease-fire reached on Nov. 27, 2024, after more than a year of war between Israel and Hezbollah remains fragile, with the Israeli army conducting almost daily strikes in Lebanon and maintaining a presence in five points it considers "strategic" in the south of the country.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.