Bassil warns against return to 'Fatah Land' era

W460

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has warned against a return to the so-called “Fatah Land” era in south Lebanon, in the wake of the attacks launched by Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad from south Lebanon.

“As much as we support the right of the Palestinian resistance to fight Israel on Palestine’s land, we refuse any use of Lebanese territory as a launchpad for military actions by any non-Lebanese party,” Bassil said on a post on the X platform.

“No to a return to the Fatah Land era,” Bassil added.

“Fatah Land” refers to the southern Lebanese areas where Palestinian militants set up their bases after being expelled from Jordan following the 1970 Black September conflict. A year earlier, Yasser Arafat, then-leader of the Fatah Movement, signed the Cairo Agreement with Lebanon.

The agreement granted Palestinians the possibility of launching operations against Israel from their Lebanese bases. That southern region was eventually dubbed “Fatah Land”.

The recent Palestinian attacks on Israel on Monday and Tuesday drew Israeli shelling of southern Lebanese border areas and an Israeli attack on a Hezbollah post that left three fighters dead.

Hezbollah has retaliated three times against the attacks, the last of which today, Wednesday, when it attacked an Israeli post in northern Israel and said it caused deaths and injuries among Israeli troops.

SourceNaharnet
Comments 7
Thumb i.report 11 October 2023, 14:26

"we refuse any use of Lebanese territory as a launchpad for military actions by any non-Lebanese party "

Perhaps he can enlighten us on how the Palestinians in Lebanon can fight to liberate their land if they can’t launch attacks from Lebanon? If he doesn’t agree to this then he should advocate to grant them Lebanese citizenship so everyone can move on. Anyone who doesn’t fully back the Palestinians in reclaiming their homes and land should be willing to have them live in their own homes. I back them because I -selfishly- want ALL refugees to live happily in their homeland.

Missing hajjradwan 11 October 2023, 16:01

Agree. The Palestinians in Lebanon should fight to liberate their land from across the Lebanese border and to hell with the consequences on Lebanon. After all this wonderful staggery worked so well in the sixties, seventies and eighties.

Thumb i.report 11 October 2023, 16:18

Obviously we should break their hands if they ever use them against Lebanese people. No Cairo agreement no BS, but unless you are willing to give them your home, there isn't any other way. I have 2 houses Palestinians are living in free of charge since before my birth, the grandmother left Palestine in her youth during the Nakba and is still around; of course I wish her to die in her house in Palestine, not in Lebanon. Hajj, what's your contribution to the Palestinians?

Missing hajjradwan 11 October 2023, 17:04

They can do it from the Golan, we have given enough to the Palestinian cause. Although I feel for your grandma and countless others like her and growing up in the south we've known and befriended many, I still say enough with the sanctimonious bullshit "what have you given to the Palestinian cause". It's an intellectually bankrupt argument tat almost cost us our country. Every single Lebanese has directly or indirectly given to the Palestinian cause and has been doing this since the Nakba. As a southerner my own family and community at large we have paid more than or share having to rebuilds our homes and livelihoods countless time for five decades, not to mention the properties that were confiscated here and in Beirut by various Palestinian groups during the war.

Missing hajjradwan 11 October 2023, 17:05

And just a little reminder, the cursed Cairo agreement stipulated that the Palestinians could launch their guerilla activities across one area of the border and we all know how that ended up. Give an inch they'll tale a mile, can you guaranty this wont happen again?

Thumb i.report 11 October 2023, 21:53

I understand your perspective, my friend. It's disheartening, but the only certainty we have, Hajj Radwan, is that all of us will ultimately face mortality. Unfortunately, it seems that the international community isn't prioritizing the Palestinian cause. In contrast, they could have taken a stance similar to the embargoes placed on Russia, pressuring Israel to adhere to the Oslo Accords. However, it's evident that the Western world is complicit in supporting Israel (double standards of course).

While we've done our part, it's challenging to prevent them from fighting to reclaim their homes unless we consider fully integrating them into Lebanon by offering citizenship and all that implies. To be honest, even though I share a Sunni background with most of them, their culture and way of life are notably distinct from ours.

Missing HellAndWaite 11 October 2023, 14:30

"Arafat Refused to Credit Syria for Palestinian Resistance’s ‘Victory’ against 1982 Israeli Invasion of Beirut"
https://english.aawsat.com/features/4520346-arafat-refused-credit-syria-palestinian-resistance%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98victory%E2%80%99-against-1982

"Arafat Chose to Fight for 6 Months... Moscow’s Position Was his Greatest Disappointment"
https://english.aawsat.com/features/4516256-arafat-chose-fight-6-months-moscow%E2%80%99s-position-was-his-greatest-disappointment%C2%A0