Berri: Resistance is Palestinians’ Right, Lebanese Gov’t must Start Action

By Staff - Agencies  

Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri slammed on Al-Quds Day the so-called ‘Deal of the Century’, reiterating Lebanon’s support for the Palestinian people and their righteous rejection for ‘Deal of the Century’.

“As Lebanese, we reject this humiliating Deal and [denounce] resettlement," he stressed, underscoring “the legitimacy of the Palestinian resistance. The closer we stand by Palestine, the more we uphold our homelands.”

In a rare televised speech, Berri called on Lebanon’s government to “make deeds not words,” and face the multiple crises crippling the country.

“The government must not keep waiting for the outcome of negotiations with the IMF but must start action instead of words,” said Berri in his speech marking Liberation Day, Al-Quds Day and Eid el-Fitr.

The Speaker also cautioned against advocates of “federalism,” noting that Lebanon’s judiciary and politics must be “liberated.”

He further denounced the voices of dissonance that began to rise in Lebanon calling for federalism as a solution to the crises.

“Lebanon must generate a new political life through a new electoral system outside sectarian restrictions, one electoral constituency, and the establishment of a Senate and the liberation of the judiciary,” he stressed.

Moreover, Berri viewed that “The time has come for the Lebanese to end their political rivalries, which only lead to disturbing public order. We ought to stop throwing accusations left and right, and start shouldering our responsibilities, for the sake of liberating Lebanon, both from its judicial and its political shackles.”

On Lebanon’s problematic electricity sector costing its treasury billions of dollars, Berri said the sector must be “liberated from mentalities of sectarian and federal quotas, and a new board of directors must be appointed, including a regulatory body.”

“We have to stop firing accusations at each other and instead start shouldering responsibilities,” he stressed.

On the money of Lebanese at banks, the Speaker emphasized that they are “sacred and a right for their owners.”