Lebanon

Your Excellency Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Your Excellency Ambassador Philemon Yang, President of the General Assembly, Excellencies,

At the outset, my warmest congratulations, Mr. President, on your election as President of the seventy-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly. I wish you success in your mission and express Lebanon's full support for your program "Unity in Diversity: Advancing Peace, Sustainable Development and Human Dignity."

Mr. President,

Lebanon is today living through a crisis that threatens its existence, the future of its people, and their well-being, and that requires urgent international intervention before matters spiral out of control, before the interconnected dominoes fall, and before the failure to contain and extinguish it turns into a black hole that swallows regional and international peace and security. The critical situation in Lebanon portends the worst for the entire Middle East, should things continue as they are, with the world standing by as a mere spectator.

Mr. President,

At the outset, we welcome the statement issued yesterday by the United States and France, supported by friendly states, to provide an opportunity to establish a long-term calm that would bring stability to the border and allow displaced persons to return to their homes. We also call for all necessary measures to be taken to put it into effect.

What we are experiencing today in Lebanon is the result of the failure to reach sustainable solutions, and is not itself the cause—rather, the occupation is the cause. We say clearly: end the occupation, for it is the cause of everything we are experiencing, and anything else is a waste of time. As long as there is occupation, there will be instability and wars.

We have repeatedly tried, through the United Nations, to resolve the outstanding border issues with Israel, but it has evaded or ignored them.

Despite the harsh circumstances we are living through, Lebanon adheres ever more firmly to international legitimacy and takes refuge in its resolutions. Lebanon is a country that participated in drafting the international human rights charter through one of its great sons, Charles Malik. However much we regret the United Nations' historic inability to protect us from Israeli aggression, we will remain committed to the role of the international organization as a line of defense against occupation, oppression, violence, and destruction. Today we are in dire need of the role of the United Nations as a refuge for small, peace-loving states that are subjected to aggression, among them my homeland, Lebanon.

From the depths of the tragedy we are living and our bitter reality, we still look to constructive dialogue as an alternative to the language of arms for resolving conflicts. Lebanon has proven its ability to be a trustworthy partner in building understandings, as happened in October 2022 with the demarcation of the maritime border between Lebanon and Israel. This is the best proof of Lebanon's commitment to negotiation as a means of resolving conflicts through peaceful means. In two Security Council sessions, the most recent of which was held on 17 July of this year on the situation in the Middle East, we presented an integrated framework for establishing sustainable calm on Lebanon's southern border. Today we reiterate our call for a ceasefire on the fronts, to serve as an opportunity and a prelude toward the full and unabridged implementation of Security Council resolution 1701, which has proven its ability to establish relative stability in southern Lebanon from the end of the July 2006 war until 7 October 2023.

We also count on the support of the international community and friendly states for the Lebanese government to strengthen the deployment of the Lebanese army south of the Litani River, to provide it with the equipment it needs, and to help it increase its numbers, after the government began opening the door to a new recruitment campaign as a clear commitment on its part to resolution 1701, so that there be no weapons without the approval of the Lebanese government, and no authority other than that of the Lebanese government, in accordance with what is stipulated in the aforementioned resolution. Our call for support does not only reflect our commitment to fulfilling our obligations under resolution 1701, but also affirms the importance of cooperation and solidarity with the international community in facing security challenges and strengthening security and stability in the region. We are all fully aware of the economic crisis afflicting the country. Despite this, the government has taken an important decision to recruit 1,500 additional soldiers to deploy them in southern Lebanon. This is not a minor detail, but a political signal to the international community that Lebanon is committed and determined to implement resolution 1701. Even in the most difficult of times, such as those we are living through now, Lebanon does not stand idle. We are mobilizing our efforts, at the highest levels, to protect our people, our national institutions, and the sovereignty of our territory.

Mr. President,

Perhaps one of the most important provisions of resolution 1701 is the demarcation of Lebanon's internationally recognized borders, drawn between Lebanon and Palestine in 1923, and reaffirmed in the Lebanese-Israeli Armistice Agreement signed on the Greek island of Rhodes in 1949 under the supervision and auspices of the United Nations. This is to be achieved by completing the process of agreement on the 13 disputed border points. Accordingly, Israel would withdraw from all Lebanese territories it still occupies to the internationally recognized borders.

We also reaffirm our commitment to the importance of the constructive role of the UNIFIL peacekeeping forces operating in southern Lebanon, which have, since their establishment, contributed to establishing calm and stability in the region, such that until 8 October 2023 no incidents threatening regional peace and security occurred. We also thank UNIFIL for its great sacrifices and the challenges it faces, particularly during the recent months and days.

Mr. President,

On the other hand, instead of having had its fill of continuous wars and fighting for more than 75 years, we see Israel leaning increasingly toward extremism. The most dangerous challenge Lebanon faces today is the escalating aggression, as the scope of the war has recently expanded to encompass the depths of Lebanese territory. We are also increasingly concerned by the systematic destruction inflicted on Lebanese border villages, the collective punishment of the population, and the burning of agricultural land with white phosphorus, rendering it unfit for investment for many years to come. In recent days we have witnessed an ugly and revolting example of how electronic devices meant for civilian use were turned into time bombs, deliberately detonated simultaneously, killing dozens of people, including children and women, and wounding thousands, hundreds of them critically, in addition to hundreds of others who suffered physical mutilation, lost limbs, or lost their sight entirely. From this podium, we renew our warning against the escalating aggression, the recklessness, the playing with fire, and the attempt to drag the entire Middle East into a massive explosion. We also reiterate our rejection of war and our legitimate right to self-defense in accordance with the United Nations Charter and international law, while continuing our relentless efforts through our contacts and meetings to avoid falling into the trap of Israeli recklessness, which seeks to continue and expand the war.

Mr. President,

The return of displaced Israelis to their towns and settlements will not be achieved through war, bombardment, fighting, and the further displacement of Lebanese. The shortest path to their return lies in a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire in accordance with the American-French statement issued yesterday and supported by friendly states. The comprehensive and full implementation of resolution 1701, as part of an integrated package with clear, declared, and transparent international guarantees, must coincide with a definitive end to Israeli violations of Lebanon's sovereignty and its internationally recognized borders by land, sea, and air—violations that have exceeded 35,000 since 2006 to this day.

Mr. President,

Has Israel not had its fill of continuous wars since 1948? When will the time come for Israel to give a genuine chance for peace? Does it not wish to try the path of peace at least once, all the way to its conclusion, instead of the language of iron, fire, blood, and destruction?

Lebanon and the Arab states have clearly and unambiguously chosen peace, through the Arab Peace Initiative issued by the Arab Summit in Beirut in 2002, their acceptance of the two-state solution, and now their demand for the implementation of United Nations resolutions, which have unfortunately remained mere ink on paper. It is time for Israel—all of Israel, government and people—to truly want peace and choose it over war, and to overcome its security anxieties. Breaking the cycle of violence in the region, halting the escalation, and preventing the possible explosion of the entire Middle East also requires collective action within a defined and specific time frame, with clear guarantees for the recognition of legitimate rights, foremost among them the right to self-determination in accordance with the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy. There can be no peace without the two-state solution, no matter how long it takes.

Mr. President,

In conclusion, we renew our call for finding a sustainable solution and for the full and balanced implementation of Security Council resolution 1701, and for the demarcation of our internationally recognized land borders, so as to spare Lebanon and the region further wars and destruction. We are going through an exceedingly difficult period, marked by a tragic escalation of violence in Lebanon. From the heart of the conflict, Security Council resolution 1701 constitutes the first line of defense for Lebanon. This resolution is not merely a document or a framework, but represents a commitment by the international community to preserving regional security and stability. We cannot deviate from this path, because it constitutes the legal and diplomatic foundation that guarantees the protection of Lebanese and regional security. Commitment to resolution 1701 is essential not only for Lebanon, but for Israel as well, and for the entire region. It is the best tool available to the international community to halt the cycle of violence so that diplomacy may prevail, however difficult the path to it may be.

The cost of diplomatic failure is exceedingly high. We must not forget that with every round of violence comes unimaginable suffering, particularly for civilians. The killing of any civilian is a tragedy that cannot be accepted and is impossible to justify. When civilian areas are systematically targeted, as is happening, we are speaking of acts that rise to the level of war crimes. Nothing can justify the indiscriminate killing of innocents. But while we speak of death and destruction, we must also focus on finding solutions.

Time is running out, and it is of the utmost importance that we find a political path out of this worsening crisis. The only way forward is to reach a political solution. We must think together about how to find a political way out of this crisis, rather than sinking further into the militarization, deepening, and prolongation of the conflict. Diplomacy is not always easy, but it is the only way to save lives, the innocent, and homelands. Lebanon is determined to walk this path.

Lebanon sees in the American-French initiative, supported by other friendly states, an opportunity to catch our breath and to open a crack in the wall of this crisis—one that Israel may perhaps seize upon.

Diplomacy must succeed. We have no other choice.

Thank you.