Taymour Jumblatt: There is no alternative to the state

Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Taymour Jumblatt said Saturday that ‘’there is no alternative to the state, which alone protects us,’’ marking the 42nd anniversary of the battles in the Western Chehhar region during the Lebanese civil war.

Jumblatt stressed that, more than ever, ‘’We are committed to reconciliation as a definitive and irreversible choice, and at a time when options are intertwined, we say clearly: there is no alternative to the state or to national partnership.’’

’’We believe that only the state protects us all, through its national army and security forces, and that the strength of our society lies in its unity, its attachment to its land and identity, and in placing the concept of the state above all other considerations,’’ he added.

For his part, Druze Sheikh Akl Sami Abi el-Mona said during the commemoration ceremony in Abey: ‘’We have returned to Western Chehhar not for revenge, but to complete reconciliation. This was the second victory for Walid Bey and the people of the Mountain, when the historic reconciliation was concluded in 2001. Reconciliation means stability on the land and coexistence in the Mountain.’’

A day earlier, Walid Jumblatt, Taymour’s father, had said that ‘’the battle of Chehhar had its political circumstances, but the war is over and gone for good.’’

The Western Chehhar region, in the Aley district, witnessed fierce fighting between Christians and Druze before reconciliation between the two sides in the 2000s.