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Interview with Sheikh Samy Gemayel

Manuela Paraipan - 9/6/2006

Sheikh Samy Gemayel is a political activist and a lawyer. He's the son of Amine Gemayel, who was the President of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988. He was interviewed by Manuela Paraipan immediately after the Israel-Hezbollah war.


Q. How would you describe the current situation of Lebanon? Who is to blame for not disarming Hezbollah?

A. The situation here in Lebanon is really, really bad not only because of the material destruction and the loss of lives but because of the moral state of mind of a majority of Lebanese who lost hope for their country and wish to leave Lebanon.

All the political society is to blame for not disarming Hezbollah. This is the Lebanese hypocrisy that we were talking about in our last interview. If you remember, I told you that the Lebanese people and politicians should sit down and discuss frankly their problems and once they know where are the gaps, they should accept their social reality, and find a new political system that can fit this acknowledged social reality.

The government worked on compromises and is not able to disarm Hezbollah mainly because the Lebanese army is not solid enough to do such action knowing that 50% of the army soldiers are Shia'a.

I think that the international community is to blame because during 15 years a mandate was given to Syria over the occupation of Lebanon. Indirectly they gave the green light to Syria to prepare Hezbollah for this battle. Syria did so because she knew that one day or another she was going to leave Lebanon so she armed and trained Hezbollah so she can have a Lebanese 100% paramilitary group that can serve its interests.


Q. Is Siniora's government up to the task of rebuilding Lebanon's South and most importantly of keeping Lebanon sovereign and independent as a state?

A. I know Sheikh Nasrallah promised to give money to all people who were left homeless in the mast month, so he is once again doing what the state had to be doing.

Hezbollah, since its birth in 1982, always wanted to implement an Islamic state in Lebanon. It is starting to do so by imposing its sovereignty on the war decision and on the right of reconstruction. Meanwhile, Hezbollah is functioning as a state: political power, economical power, social allegiance, military power, a region where it imposes its laws... all the attributes of a state.