Phalange: Agreement on Orthodox Proposal Paves Way for Christian Understanding on National Values

The Phalange Party politburo praised on Monday the Maronite leaders’ meeting last week that reached an agreement on adopting the Orthodox gathering’s proposals on a parliamentary electoral law, saying that it demonstrated that the Christians share common concerns.

It said in a statement after its weekly politburo meeting: “The Maronite leaders’ agreement paves the way for further agreements on national principles that can provide the basis for their work in the future.”

“The Bkirki agreement is a step in the right direction in achieving a Lebanon that can cater to the concerns and insecurities of Christians,” it added.

“The agreement will also serve to facilitate dialogue among all parties in Lebanon and provide the basis for any new electoral law,” it noted.

Furthermore, the statement remarked that the reactions to the Maronite meeting demonstrated that Lebanon has a “chronic problem” and all of its parties have “deep-rooted” insecurities.

“These issues should be discussed seriously and responsibly at a national gathering that the Phalange Party had long called for,” it added.

The Orthodox gathering proposed that each sect elect its own MPs based on proportional representation.

Addressing the instability in the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, the politburo statement said: “It is unfortunate that the assassinations have started to take place once again.”

“This demonstrates the need for the state to impose its authority throughout Lebanese territory, without exception,” it stated.

The politburo voiced its fear that the situation may spiral out of control in the camp and spill over outside of it.

It therefore called on the Lebanese state and international and Arab communities to find a final solution to the situation of Palestinians in Lebanon.

This issue cannot be resolved through promises, but by tackling the heart of the problem in manner that preserves Lebanon’s stability and higher interest and meets the national aspirations of the Palestinian people, it stressed.

Fierce clashes erupted on Sunday in the Ain al-Hilweh camp between the Fatah Movement and the Islamist group Jund al-Sham after a bodyguard of Palestinian Armed Struggle chief Mahmoud Issa, aka al-Lino, was shot dead.

Another one of his bodyguards was assassinated earlier last week.