Bassil: Negotiations with Israel are nothing but 'concessions and capitulations'

The leader of Lebanon’s Free Patriotic Movement, lawmaker Gebran Bassil, criticized ongoing negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, saying Beirut is making excessive “concessions” and calling for a “change in perception” of Hezbollah, his former political ally.

Speaking Friday night in an interview on Al-Jadeed television, Bassil described the Naqoura talks as a process of “concessions and capitulations.” Lebanon appointed a civilian representative to the negotiations in early December, but the talks have not been held for several weeks, raising fears they could be suspended.

Bassil said he supported “a just and true peace that guarantees Lebanon’s rights.” The U.S. Embassy in Beirut announced Friday that a new round of meetings would begin Feb. 25, with one session per month through May.

Bassil also addressed the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons, saying it is being handled “in the wrong way, with incentives that solve nothing.” He said Hezbollah views its arms as linked to its existence and honor, and that changing this perception requires a broader national strategy.

“To do so, there must be a commitment to defending Lebanon’s rights and securing the return of prisoners, and the opposing camp must clearly reject Israel’s actions in order to unite both sides under a comprehensive Lebanese strategy,” he said.

He added that Hezbollah is “above all a human and social environment, not just weapons,” arguing that it is impossible to uproot this base either north or south of the Litani River.

Bassil reiterated his opposition to recent remarks by Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, who said that precision missiles now serve an Iranian role. He said the understanding between his party and Hezbollah had been broken for some time, noting that when the Free Patriotic Movement signed its agreement with Hezbollah in 2006, “it was with Lebanon, not Iran.”

“The axis collapsed after the assassination of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and the unity of the fronts has brought only disasters to Lebanon,” Bassil said, while praising the Lebanese Army as “sacred” and accusing unnamed internal and external parties of trying to drag it into a conflict with Hezbollah.

On domestic politics, Bassil said he had supported Prime Minister Nawaf Salam because he was “not part of the system” and had a reputation for integrity. While his personal relationship with Salam remains good, Bassil said their political relationship is strained.

“I expected more from him, especially on reform laws,” Bassil said, adding that Salam’s first political battle, over the appointment of the central bank governor, ended in defeat and that the prime minister had since retreated politically. “The Free Patriotic Movement is the only opposition to this government,” he said.

Bassil also described his recent meeting with Saudi envoy Prince Yazid bin Farhan as positive, saying Saudi Arabia supports a unified Lebanon. He stressed that federalism does not mean partition and that decentralization strengthens national unity.

The Batroun lawmaker warned against attempts to delay legislative elections by one or two years under what he called technical pretexts. “I will do what is in the interest of the Free Patriotic Movement, including in electoral alliances,” he said.