A man waving the Hezbollah flag makes the victory sign on Nov. 27, 2024, on the highway leading to South Lebanon, on the first day of the cease-fire with Israel. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L’Orient-Le Jour)
The protest announced earlier on Monday by the labor unions of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, against the government’s decision to reclaim the monopoly on arms and disarm Hezbollah, has been postponed indefinitely, the two parties said.
The alliance said the decision “stems from the national responsibility imposed by the current situation and responds to the wishes of national authorities who seek to unify positions and preserve stability, and to allow for in-depth and constructive dialogue.”
The parties emphasized, however, that the defense of their cause “has not been postponed” and that they remain determined to “defend Lebanon’s sovereignty, dignity, resistance and weapons.”
Shortly before the announcement, the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers told the local channel LBCI that “no protest movement is planned for Wednesday.”
Hezbollah and Amal workers’ offices had called for the demonstration on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in downtown Beirut against the early-August decisions by the government of Nawaf Salam, particularly regarding the disarmament of militias, under the slogan “Never under humiliation.” In a joint statement, they urged “workers, producers, and trade unionists” to participate in the sit-in at Riad al-Solh Square, in front of the Grand Serail, the Cabinet’s headquarters.
According to the statement, the decisions made on Aug. 5 and 7 by the government “go against the higher national interest and the National Pact.” They also asserted that the resistance has “the right to defend national territory and to liberate it from Israeli occupation.” The statement added that their patience has “reached its limits” and called for a “national gathering to reject submission and surrender.”
Last Friday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said the party is ready for a “confrontation” if disarmament is imposed.
On Aug. 7, the government also approved the “roadmap” of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, which outlines a series of measures to enforce the terms of the truce that went into effect on Nov. 27, 2024, after 13 months of war between Hezbollah and Israel. The “Barrack plan,” for which the U.S. envoy is expected to provide Israeli responses early this week during another visit to Beirut, includes militia disarmament, talks with Syria on the border demarcation, and a set of reforms.
