Deputy Gebran Bassil speaking at the inauguration of a conference on the diaspora in Beirut, on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Credit: photo provided by the FPM)
Amid the war between Hezbollah and Israel, Gebran Bassil is seeking to return to the political forefront. The leader of the Free Patriotic Movement last week launched a “dialogue initiative” from Baabda Palace, centered on the president of the republic — a notable move given his previously tense relationship with Joseph Aoun. Since then, the MP for Batroun has begun touring Lebanese political and religious leaders to promote his proposal.The initiative notably calls for “Lebanon’s neutrality” in regional conflicts, as well as “the adoption of a national defense strategy, with a view to a just peace that guarantees all the rights of the Lebanese.” It also aims to “bring the Lebanese together at a dialogue table,” according to Bassil’s remarks in Baabda.Rapprochement with Aoun?Although the Free Patriotic Movement was the only party not to...
Amid the war between Hezbollah and Israel, Gebran Bassil is seeking to return to the political forefront. The leader of the Free Patriotic Movement last week launched a “dialogue initiative” from Baabda Palace, centered on the president of the republic — a notable move given his previously tense relationship with Joseph Aoun. Since then, the MP for Batroun has begun touring Lebanese political and religious leaders to promote his proposal.The initiative notably calls for “Lebanon’s neutrality” in regional conflicts, as well as “the adoption of a national defense strategy, with a view to a just peace that guarantees all the rights of the Lebanese.” It also aims to “bring the Lebanese together at a dialogue table,” according to Bassil’s remarks in Baabda.Rapprochement with Aoun?Although the Free Patriotic Movement was...
