In an address broadcast June 1, 2009, Sami Gemayel, newly elected Lebanese MP and son of former Lebanese president Amin Gemayel, stated that the reason for all Lebanon's catastrophes is the front opened against Israel, and that this front should be closed. The address aired on Future News TV (to view this clip, visit http://www.memri.org/legacy/clip/2132 ). In an interview aired April 1, 2009, Sami Gemayel stated that the anti-Israel resistance should move from Lebanon to Syria. The interview aired on Al-Arabiya TV (to view this clip, visit http://www.memri.org/legacy/clip/2118 ).
June 1, 2009: The Reason for All Lebanon's Catastrophes Is the Front That Was Opened against Israel - This Front Must Be Closed
Sami Gemayel: "This used to be the best country in the world. This country used to be called 'Switzerland of the East.' The older people among us still remember how good life in Lebanon used to be.
"Let's try to remember when things began to change, when our lives changed. It changed when the front in South Lebanon was opened. It changed in 1969, when some people decided to turn Lebanon into a rocket launching pad against Israel. This is when our catastrophes began. This is exactly when our catastrophes began.
"We should be completely realistic. We will not bring an end to this black era in the history of Lebanon, we will not bring an end to the Lebanese [civil] war and to all our catastrophes unless we deal with the reasons for these catastrophes, and close the front in South Lebanon in a final manner. Final, final, final!
"There was no weaponry in Lebanon before this front was opened, and the issue of illegal weaponry will not come to an end unless we close this front. Today, we are committed to a peaceful, civilized, developed Lebanon, which will not come to be as long as there is a front in the South...
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"Moreover, when the front in the South was closed by Resolution 1701, they shifted this front to the center of Beirut, to the Shouf area, and to Aley."
April 1, 2009: Anti-Israel Resistance Should Move from Lebanon to Syria
Sami Gemayel: "An everlasting resistance for the sake of victory for the Palestinian people, and working together in order to turn Lebanon into a second Gaza, is one option, but I think Lebanon has paid enough of the price of war and of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Today, Lebanon has earned the right to pass the torch to another country, which would do its duty, and make a quarter, or even 10 percent, of the sacrifices made by Lebanon.
"Take, for example, our sister country, our friendly neighbor, which would always watch us from the sidelines - I am talking about Syria, of course. Why shouldn't Syria also bear some of the burden of this conflict and resistance?
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"In my opinion, Lebanon deserves to live in peace for a while. We have adopted the option of neutrality. Some people say: 'Whoever wants to live in a natural country should go live on some island.' We say: 'Whoever wants to wage war should go wage it on some island.'
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"What is this lie that they are telling? Israel withdrew behind the Blue Line in 2000, in accordance with Resolution 425. According to international law, Lebanon was liberated of any occupation. Today, they say: 'There's still the issue of the Shaba' Farms.' We all know that this is a pretext to keep the resistance in Lebanon. We all know this.
"Everybody knows that the problem of the Shaba' Farms will only be resolved between Lebanon and Syria, once Syria officially acknowledges to the U.N. that this area belongs to Lebanon."
