Former Lebanese president and current Phalange party leader Amin Gemayel addressed the rally marking the 6th anniversary of the Cedar Revolution by saying :
“All that Hezbollah cares about now is the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) … It forgot Israel. It forgot about Kfar Shouba and the Shebaa Farms.” In reference to the Lebanese territories that are still occupied by Israel.
“First they carried arms to defend Lebanon against Israel, then they carried them to form a state, intimidate you, carry out a coup and impose a government that contradicts Lebanon’s higher interests,” he added during his address to the rally at Beirut’s Martyrs Square.
“They want to transform Lebanon from a state of law to a state that confronts all international resolutions.”
Gemayel added that “national unity will not be strengthened until all illegitimate arms are removed from Lebanon and until the only legitimate arms are those of the state.”
“We are not addressing the issue of non-state arms because we want to be enemies with any party in particular. We are addressing this issue to save Lebanon and build the state.”
Instead, he said that March 14 aims to “abort the coup against the state, the regime, and the democratic way.”
“We call for the truth to be revealed through the STL. We are not here to accuse anyone or sow division.”
The rally this year comes after Hezbollah’s military might was blamed for the collapse of the government . The Iranian and Syrian -backed Hezbollah brought down Hariri’s government on January 12 over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) imminent indictment which is widely expected to implicate Hezbollah members in the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri in 2005
Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati was appointed in January with the backing of the Hezbollah March 8 alliance and MPs Walid Jumblatt and Mohammad Safadi following the collapse of Hariri’s unity government. March 14 leaders have repeatedly said that intimidation from Hezbollah’s weapons helped secure the parliamentary majority for Mikati’s nomination.
Jumblatt and his PSP parliament members reportedly switched allegiance to Hezbollah’s PM candidate, following threats by Hezbollah.
Jumblatt, Mikati and Safadi were all elected on March 14 electoral tickets during the 2009 parliamentary elections.
March 14 parties have announced that they will not take part in the cabinet Mikati is currently forming, and Hariri vowed last week to fight the use of non-state weapons “peacefully and democratically.”
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