Our hearts bleed at the sight of Gaza and the sufferings of the Palestinian people. No tears, no words, no cries, no claims could ever describe the sorrow and the anger in which we are! Incapable as we are to do something to break the deadlock and speed up a peaceful settlement of this age long conflict, we remain faithful that Lebanon can help morally, politically and intellectually to raise the flag of freedom and dignity in this part of the World. We pray and we wish that the almighty God speaks up finally to help the Palestinians transform this nightmare into a real dream!

The Kataeb party, under the leadership of President Amine Gemayel, is with you to achieve the just and legitimate right of your cause, a Palestinian State. Our political culture is that entrusted to us by our founder, Cheikh Pierre Gemayel. This great man has always advocated, even at the climax of the war in Lebanon, the sacredness of the Palestinian cause. We believe that this historical position remains more than ever true today.
The challenges that the situation in Gaza are putting to the Arab order are true and real. And they are not limited to the Arabs or the Islamic community. This is not about balance of power or the use of force to transform the situation into a new order. In the age of individual empowerment, collective identity awareness, and economic globalization, Gaza transcends the politics of realism to reach the conscience of the World and becomes therefore of universal scope.
The International community, represented by its states and civil societies, has to answer how it could be that a resistance movement becoming an elected government has transformed into such radicalism. It has to address once and for all the right of self determination, the imposition of the respect of human rights and the observation of international law of armed conflicts. It has to review its practice of double standards when it comes to the State of Israel. Is a bad government better than no government the same way that a good government better than a bad government? How far the principle of “divide and rule” is still valid in the 21st Century?
These questions are embedded with evidence: the rules of the game have to be changed. But not according to Israel design. An Arab awakening should come out of Gaza. And this has to go beyond Gaza. But not according to some calls from Lebanon.
The Palestinian people could distance themselves from Hamas but it doesn’t mean they are going to become closer to Israel. The scorched earth policy will not allow for the seeds of peace to open. An Arab initiative has to save the Palestinians for the interests of Palestine, of Peace, and the security of Israel. There could be an exit strategy to this conflict and this has to pass through the preservation of the dignity of Gaza. A complete and unconditional surrender of Hamas, if feasible, is not a solution. A prolongation of this war could lead to the “Hamasazation” of the West Bank. By trying to solve one problem, Israel would then be creating another. Changing the rules of game means that by accepting a humanitarian pause Israel will provide a political window of opportunity to allow for the international community to reach for an honorable solution to all. The rejection of the French proposal by Israel today is a reminder of the same mistake it committed during the July war 2006.
Helping Gaza could not pass by toppling the regimes in the Arab World. It passes by allying those regimes regardless their deficiencies. It is not the time for revolution. It is time for resistance. Using resistance to promote revolution is neutralizing the resistance and killing the revolution. The traditional mixing of both concepts have lead in the past the Palestinians to disasters, both in Jordan and Lebanon. It has led the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon to similar deadlock when it thought it could use its legitimacy and transform its popularity to a political currency as an opposition.
In the Arab World, we need a long awaited change! It goes together with a long awaited peace! It could be only brought up when we unite in dignity to support the Palestinian cause. When an honorable solution to Gaza, and then to Palestine, is found, then and only then we will be laying the foundations of peace and change.

sélim el sayegh
2nd Vice-President
The Kataeb Party