Lebanese Politician Samy Gemayel: I Want Lebanon To Live In Peace; Both Syria And Israel Have Harmed Lebanon; Syria Is A Dictatorship That Kills Its Own People

Lebanese MP Samy Gemayel, the leader of Lebanese Kataeb Party said in an October 17, 2022 interview aired on LBC TV (Lebanon) that his goal is for Lebanon to live in peace. He said that he doesn't want to live in a country where he and his children face war every year or two. Gemayel said that he does not believe in eternal hostility and enmity, and stated that even Nazis Germany's killing of millions during World War II did not result in "eternal enmity." He said that he does not want to "adopt a racist approach" regarding Israel and that there are Israelis who oppose war and demonstrate against it. Gemayel further said that both Syria and Israel have harmed Lebanon "to the same extent," but Syria has killed more Lebanese people. He added that while it is true that Syria is an Arab country, it is also a dictatorship that "annihilates its own people." For more information on Samy Gemayel, who is the nephew of Bachir Gemayel, a Lebanese President-elect who was assassinated by a Syrian terrorist in 1982, see MEMRITV clips Nos. 9120, 7381, 2539, 2132, and 2118.

Interviewer: "Are you pleased with the beginning of a path of normalization with Israel? Can you honestly tell me whether this pleases you or not?"

Samy Gemayel: "I am pleased that Lebanon is turning a new leaf with regard to the matter of Lebanon's borders, its relations with its neighbors, and its eternal enmity and endless state of war with others. My goal is for Lebanon to live in peace. If this is a crime and Lebanon must go on living in an endless state of war... Well, my goal in this life is for me and my children not to live in a country, where every year or two, there is war, missiles, casualties, and blood. I want Lebanon to live in peace. Is that a crime? I want someone to tell me."

Interviewer: "But it takes two to make peace."

Gemayel: "Why is that impossible?"

Interviewer: "You can see the Israelis' absolute hostility towards Lebanon throughout our history with the Hebrew state."

Gemayel: " I doubt this very much. I believe that in life, there is no such thing as eternal hostility. There is no such thing. Nazi Germany waged a world war, annihilated entire nations, killing millions of people. What was the result? Eternal enmity?

Interviewer: "No, but their regime changed. The war ended."

Gemayel: "Of course it did. Today, in Israel, there are people who oppose war, they go on demonstrations against war, while you have other people, who support wars and so on. I don't want to adopt a racist approach on this matter."

Interviewer: "But Israel is a racist country, founded on apartheid, while Lebanon is the complete opposite."

Gemayel: " I am denying not that ideologically, Lebanon is the complete opposite, but we have two neighboring countries - Syria and Israel - and both have harmed Lebanon to the same extent. If you count the martyrs killed by the Syrian regime, they even outnumber those killed by the Israeli regime."

Interviewer: "But Syria is an Arab country..."

Gemayel: "Well, it is also a dictatorship and it annihilates its own people."