In light of the ongoing Israeli escalation in the south, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri appears extremely concerned for Lebanon and the southerners, based on his awareness of the extent of the human, economic and social suffering that the people experience daily under the weight of war and destruction, at a time when he is keen to approach the files with political rationality and away from bidding, based on his conviction that protecting Lebanon requires a balance between adhering to national rights and preventing internal collapse.
In an interview with Al-Diyar newspaper, Berri linked the success or failure of the direct negotiations expected today in Washington to the ceasefire, saying: “The negotiations begin today at nine o’clock Washington time, and if there is a real ceasefire it means the ruin of everything,” considering that any negotiating path cannot succeed in light of the continued Israeli attacks.
Regarding the ceiling of what Lebanon can accept, Berri stressed that “Lebanon does not accept anything less than the withdrawal of the Israeli army, then reconstruction, the deployment of the Lebanese army, and the return of the people,” stressing that the issue of the return of the people of the south to their villages constitutes an absolute priority for him, and he added: “The return of the people, for me personally, is equivalent to “In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”
Berri stressed that all the attacks and destruction committed by Israel against Lebanon and the southerners are being documented, indicating that Lebanon will move to sue Israel for the crimes and attacks it committed, which reflects its commitment that the war will not pass without legal and political accountability.
Speaking about the proposals circulating in the United States, Berri was asked about the talk related to the possibility of a meeting between the President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, and the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu. He indicated that the data available to him indicate that this matter is “out of the question of President Aoun,” indicating that there is no official Lebanese tendency toward this type of meeting.
As for his vision for the solution, Berri considered that Lebanon cannot emerge from its current crisis without a regional and international umbrella that helps stabilize stability, explaining that the country “needs a regional umbrella, especially a Saudi-Iranian understanding or agreement about Lebanon under an American umbrella,” indicating his conviction that internal stability is linked to broader regional and international understandings.
In a related context, Berri revealed that he discussed with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam the issue of government reshuffle, explaining that Salam considered that “the issue has been put on the shelf, and it is not the appropriate time for government reshuffle,” indicating that he agrees with this assessment, based on the priority of containing the security and political situation and not opening the door to new internal debates.
Berri’s words reflect the size of the sensitive stage that Lebanon is facing, with the negotiations intertwined with military pressure and regional calculations, while the main concern, according to his approach, remains protecting the south, stopping the war, and securing the return of the people to their villages, given that any political talk loses its meaning if the Lebanese remain far from their land and homes.
