Lebanese MP Nadim Gemayel: I Refuse To Be Dragged Into A Hizbullah War Against Israel; There Are 100 Other Ways To Resolve Our Disputes With Israel

Lebanese MP Nadim Gemayel said in an interview that was aired by Spot Shot (Lebanon) on August 31, 2023, that he would not support any war waged by Hizbullah against Israel, and that he refuses to be dragged in to such a war. He elaborated that Hizbullah only cares about Israel, but that he cares about Lebanon. He also said that he would be willing to cooperate even with Satan in order to survive. and he stated that following the maritime border deal between Israel and Lebanon, there are a hundred ways to resolve disputes with Israel without involving weapons or rockets.

MP Nadim Gemayel: "Hassan Nasrallah has accused us of being traitors and collaborators with Israel, as if anyone asking for the border to remain under control is an Israeli collaborator. This only weakens his argument. No matter what happens – they point to Israel. As far as they are concerned, the main cause is Israel, and everything is connected to it. We have nothing to do with Israel, brother. Our cause is Lebanon. We can discuss things that are related to Lebanon.

"But you cannot push us into Israel's arms every time your excuses run out. If you keep pushing us into Israel's arms, we might end up cooperating with Satan, in order to confront you. Today, you endanger our existence, identity, and future in this country."

Interviewer: "You are not dismissing the possibility that you will cooperate with Israel again; I mean, this is what they are accusing you of doing."

Gemayel: "Personally, I have never cooperated with Israel."

Interviewer: "But if you have no choice, will you do what your father did?"

Gemayel: "This is not what our plan suggests. But if we reach the point where we have to choose between killing or being killed, or if we are shoved into a corner, and we will be forced to cooperate with whomever it may be to defend ourselves, if this happens again, then yes, of course…"

Interviewer: "Even if you are forced to ally yourself with Israel? Be honest."

Gemayel: "I do not care with whom I ally myself. Maybe I will cooperate with Syria against Hizbullah. Who knows? I have no complexes towards anyone."

Interviewer: "In Lebanon's next war, will you back Hizbullah?"

Gemayel: "Absolutely not. I am against Hizbullah entering a military confrontation. I am against Hizbullah dragging me into any military confrontation. We can resolve our problem with Israel in 100 different ways. We do not need to have rockets, make threats, and launch wars to resolve it.

"Take, for example, the issue of the maritime border. Today, TotalEnergies, Eni, and QatarEnergy are coming to Lebanon to extract natural gas. Has this been achieved by means of weapons, or through a war at sea to determine the border? There was an agreement, which Hizbullah agreed to and voted for, and it applies to all Lebanon. If there is a problem with demarcation of the border between Lebanon and Israel, there are a hundred ways to resolve it. If there are problems between Lebanon and Israel, there are a hundred ways to resolve them.

"We do not need to destroy our economy and destroy the enemy and ourselves without achieving anything.

"In 2006, they talked about a big victory. What victory? We destroyed maybe five percent of Israel's infrastructure. Bravo! But more than 60-70% of Lebanon's infrastructure was destroyed, especially its economy, and more than 100,000 young Lebanese left the country. Maybe 20%-30% of them have returned. All the rest are still abroad."