U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (center, back) watches (from left to right, front row) Israel's ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, the State Department chief of staff, Daniel Holler, and Lebanon's ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh, sign a framework agreement at the U.S. State Department in Washington, June 26, 2026. (Credit: Saul Loeb / AFP)
The framework agreement reached Friday between Lebanon and Israel at the end of the fifth round of negotiations in Washington is prompting numerous reactions across the political spectrum, notably in the Christian camp where Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel welcomed it while Aounist leader Gebran Bassil voiced certain reservations.
In a statement, Gemayel said that Lebanon is "coming out a winner" from this agreement because, in his view, it "marks the end of the war, the complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, Israel’s official recognition of the absence of any claim or ambition toward Lebanon, the restoration of sovereignty, the extension of state authority and the exclusivity of arms as well as the decision of war and peace in the hands of legitimate institutions only."
"The Lebanese state has shown that, when it negotiates on behalf of Lebanon and from its legitimacy, it is capable of defending the interests of the Lebanese," emphasized the Metn MP, who nevertheless believes the big challenge ahead will be its "implementation." "What is required today is firm political will, a commitment to the state, and a refusal to yield to any intimidation, blackmail or attempt to obstruct this process," he said.
The head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Gebran Bassil, for his part, expressed some reservations about this agreement, while calling to "not reject it outright," as Hezbollah does. He considered in this respect that "the framework agreement, despite its shortcomings, must be approached with responsibility. It is beneficial if we recover all our rights, and dangerous if it becomes a source of discord. Everyone must be careful not to fall into this trap and not to categorically reject any path that could free our territory, strengthen the state and establish peace."
Bassil, MP for Batroun, also insisted on rejecting the formula of "redeployment" of Israeli troops occupying southern Lebanon as used in the text of the agreement, which speaks of a "progressive redeployment outside Lebanese territory," and said he supports "the guarantee of withdrawal and of non-aggression."
"Where are the refugees and resources?" he concluded, referring to the issue of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and the water and gas resources long disputed between the two countries, such as the waters of the Wazzani River or the offshore gas fields.
