Bassil: Our Independence is Threatened by an Unjust War and Israeli Occupation

The president of the Free Patriotic Movement, Deputy Gebran Bassil, stressed that “maintaining independence is far more challenging than achieving it.” He explained that if a country’s leaders are not independent, the nation itself cannot be, as its decisions become tethered to foreign interests. According to Bassil, “true independence is not just the absence of occupation; it is the ability to make sovereign decisions.”

Speaking during “A Minute with Gebran” on the occasion of Independence Day, Bassil remarked: “Independence is not merely a memory but a way of life that defines both a nation and its people. Without freedom, human life has no meaning, and without independence, a country cannot truly exist.”

Bassil expressed concern that Lebanon’s independence is under threat once again. “Our involvement in a war we should never have entered has jeopardized our sovereignty,” he said. He argued that this predicament is not solely due to Israel’s persistent aggression since its creation, but also because “many Lebanese officials have surrendered their decision-making power to foreign actors.”

He elaborated: “Some leaders dragged Lebanon into a war on the road to Jerusalem instead of focusing on Lebanon. They embraced a strategy of ‘unifying arenas’ rather than uniting our internal front and prioritized supporting Gaza over defending Lebanon. This approach has ensnared us in conflict.”

Bassil further criticized another group of officials who, he claimed, “welcomed Israeli attacks in the hope of isolating a Lebanese faction. They believed this would shift the internal balance of power, enabling them to elect a president without the Shiite community and revive their plans for partition.”

He argued that both groups have undermined Lebanon’s sovereignty by allowing external powers—whether Israel, Iran, or others—to dictate the nation’s decisions. “Our independence is once again at risk, as Israel seeks to reoccupy Lebanese territory,” he warned. Bassil highlighted that this situation could necessitate another round of resistance to liberate the land. “We may soon find ourselves commemorating new anniversaries of liberation alongside October 22, May 25, and April 26,” he said.

Bassil concluded with a poignant question: “Are we doomed to mark multiple independence and liberation anniversaries because our officials cannot maintain independence?” He added, “While external forces have repeatedly attempted to occupy our land, what is truly incomprehensible is how internal factions have allowed external powers to occupy our national decision-making.”