Lebanese MP Samy Gemayel, Leader Of Kataeb Party: I Support The Two-State Solution; It Will Bring Peace For Palestine, Israel, Lebanon; We Are Sick And Tired Of Paying The Price For This Conflict

Lebanese MP Samy Gemayel, the leader of Lebanese Kataeb Party spoke in a May 29, 2024 interview that aired on Tele Liban TV (Lebanon) in favor of a two-state solution for the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. He said that such a solution would bring peace to Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon. Gemayel added that Lebanon is sick and tired of paying the price for the conflict in the region, as it has been doing since 1948. He expressed the need for leaders both on the Israeli and the Palestinian sides who will resurrect this logic.

Samy Gemayel: "I hope someone conducts a survey to see how many Lebanese have been killed by Syria and how many by Israel."

Interviewer: "You believe Syria has killed more?"

Gemayel: "We should make this simple comparison and see who has killed more. If it is okay to be killed by Syria but not okay to be killed by Israel, we want to know this so we can find someone to kill us. At least, we would die happy.

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"What are we talking about here? About the extremist Netanyahu government of the extremist Israeli right wing, and about the extremist Hamas leaders – Sinwar and those people. All I am saying it that ultimately, we want there to be peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and the entire region, including Lebanon. Why not?"

Interviewer: "You think that Netanyahu and Sinwar are the same?"

Gemayel: "Yes. Why is it a problem? The extremist [Israeli] government is killing people, and the Hamas leaders are also killing people. Both sides have killed civilians."

Interviewer: "But weren't [Hamas] defending their land and honor?"

Gemayel: "In all honesty, we believe in the two-state plan, and we are against anything that might destroy this path of peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis, the two-state path. Both Hamas and Netanyahu oppose the two-state solution. We need Israeli and Palestinian leaders that will resurrect the logic of peace and the two-state solution, so that the Palestinians will have their own state where they can live in peace, next to the Israelis, and we in Lebanon will stop paying the price for this conflict like we have since 1948. We are sick and tired of paying the price for this."

Interviewer: "So you support peace with Israel on the basis of the two-state solution..."

Gemayel: "I support peace between Israel and the Palestinians. I believe that this will definitely lead to peace between Israel, Lebanon, and Palestine. Absolutely. Why not? Why do we continue to be ashamed of this? Is our goal to continue to be in an endless war?"