Former Lebanese Minister Sejaan Azzi: We Have Fought Israel Enough; Why Should We Fight While Others Are Negotiating?

In an interview aired on LBC TV (Lebanon) on May 26, 2020, former Lebanese Minister Sejaan Azzi said that Lebanon does not want war with Israel or anyone else. He said that Lebanon must complete negotiations with Israel in order to achieve secure borders and to make sure the Lebanese army is the only military force in the country. Azzi also said that he is against anyone who wants to wage war with Israel, and that Lebanon has paid a steep price while having helped the Palestinians since 1948. He added that Lebanon cannot withstand another war against Israel, and he asked why it should fight against Israel while the other Arab countries and even the Palestinians are making peace and negotiating with Israel.

Sejaan Azzi: "I believe that Lebanon has done its share in the Arab-Israeli conflict and in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Today, we do not want war with Israel or with anyone else. We want the Lebanese state to complete the negotiations, in order to secure the borders, and so that there will be no force on the ground except for the Lebanese army. If anyone wants to wage war against Israel - I'm against him, not because I support Israel, but because I... Enough! Since 1948 and to this day, we have paid a steep price. We have liberated our land, we have helped the Palestinians, we suffered wars because of the militarized Palestinian presence [in Lebanon]... Today, we cannot cope with a plan to liberate [the entire territory of] Israel. This plan should be the burden of all the Arab countries together, with the Palestinian people at the forefront. At a time when the Palestinians are making peace with Israel, are present in Israel, and are negotiating with Israel - even [the Palestinians] in Gaza - and at a time when the Arab countries have called it quits regarding wars, and engaged in peace plans, why am I [supposed to fight]?"