Graham added, “Israel will not accept Hezbollah remaining armed. My recommendations to my friends in Lebanon are to disarm Hezbollah, and then we can sit down to discuss border security with Israel and open a path for Lebanon to integrate into the region.”
He pointed out that “more countries have joined the Abraham Accords,” and he expects that “Saudi Arabia will join during the next year,” and urged Lebanon to “prepare now to be part of that.”
Regarding the situation in Syria, Graham clarified that he does not oppose easing the U.S. sanctions imposed on Syria, “but on the condition that we can quickly reimpose them if the new government does not protect religious minorities and control the borders between Lebanon and Syria.”
He continued, “My focus is on isolating and disarming Hezbollah, and trying to empower the new Syrian government but cautiously.”
Regarding the Palestinian issue, Graham affirmed that “there can be no talk of any peace in the Middle East as long as Hamas is armed,” stressing that any reconstruction process in Gaza remains “directly linked to the disarmament of the movement.”
He indicated that he sees no indication that Hamas is ready to give up its military capabilities, saying, “I hope Hamas will hand over its weapons, but I don’t see any effort from them to do so. Rather, I see them trying to regain their strength and rearm, and all indications show that their actions are not consistent with the idea of disarmament or relinquishing power.”
He concluded by saying, “There will come a time, sooner or later, when someone has to disarm Hamas, and if it doesn’t do it itself, Israel will likely do it.”
He added, “I don’t see any Arab party ready to enter Gaza to disarm Hamas by force, the only party capable of doing so is Israel. We can provide support to Israel to disarm Hamas, but Israel will be on the ground.”
Graham concluded his speech by saying, “The day Hamas’s weapons are removed and it stops being part of political life in Gaza will be the day the reconstruction of Gaza and the West Bank begins and the return to the path of normalization,” adding, “As long as Hamas has the power, there will be no peace in the Middle East.”
