Geagea calls for declaring Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon a national holiday

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Tuesday called for declaring the anniversary of the Syrian army withdrawal from Lebanon as a “national holiday.”

Geagea’s suggestion comes four days before Lebanon celebrates the Resistance and Liberation Day, which marks the withdrawal of the Israeli army from south Lebanon in May 2000.

“If it is normal to list the occasion of the Israeli army’s withdrawal from the border area as one of the national holidays, it would be also normal to list the occasion of the Syrian army’s withdrawal from the heart of Lebanon as one of the national holidays, seeing as occupation is occupation, whether it comes from an enemy or a ‘friend,’ especially that the Syrian regime through its army was in full control of the state and its institutions while practicing hegemony over most of the Lebanese soil,” Geagea said in a statement.

“It is unacceptable to continue to deal selectively with issues related to Lebanon’s sovereignty,” Geagea added.

He also said that the government’s request that schools, institutes and universities dedicate the first session on Monday to explain the importance of Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon requires “dedicating a session related to the national occasion represented in the withdrawal of the Syrian army.”

“In both cases, there should be an agreement on the content of these sessions with the aim of upbringing the generations in a correct patriotic way,” Geagea added, stressing that the state should be the sole authority in the country and that the army should be the exclusive implementer of its decisions in what relates to “protecting sovereignty and defending Lebanon.”

The Syrian occupation of Lebanon lasted from 1976, beginning with the Syrian intervention in the Lebanese Civil War, until April 30, 2005. This period saw significant Syrian military and political influence over Lebanon. The occupation ended following intense international pressure, the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and the protests that followed.