Berri Rejects US-Backed Plan as It Entrenches Israeli Occupation of Lebanon
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri says the US-backed proposal favors the Israeli occupation and fails to guarantee a full withdrawal from Lebanon.
Lebanon, PUREWILAYAH.COM — Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has rejected the US-backed plan announced this week, arguing that it imposes obligations on Lebanon and Hizbullah while failing to guarantee a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
In remarks published on Friday, Berri described the text as fundamentally one-sided and favorable to the Israeli occupation.
According to Berri, the proposal could have begun with a simple and unconditional ceasefire across land, sea, and air. Instead, he said, it introduced provisions aimed specifically at Hizbullah while leaving the Israeli occupation free from equivalent obligations.
The Lebanese Parliament Speaker pointed to clauses requiring a total ceasefire by Hizbullah and the withdrawal of Resistance fighters from areas south of the Litani River, while failing to provide a clear commitment for the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Lebanese territory.
Berri also criticized provisions that replace a complete Israeli withdrawal with so-called “trial zones” and arrangements that would allow continued Israeli operational activity inside Lebanon.
He stressed that any fair formula would require parallel implementation, with the withdrawal of Resistance fighters south of the Litani taking place alongside a full Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese areas.
“The rest of the text is inequitable and not worth mentioning,” Berri said.
Sheikh Naim Qassem Rejects Direct Negotiations
The criticism came one day after Hizbullah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem strongly rejected the Washington declaration and the outcome of direct negotiations.
In a televised address, Sheikh Qassem described the declaration as an attempt to undermine Lebanon, destabilize the country, and create divisions among the Lebanese people.
He said the proposal amounted to a roadmap for the targeting of one segment of Lebanese society and the subjugation of the rest.
The Hizbullah Secretary-General further stated that the results of the direct negotiations were being rejected by broad sectors of Lebanese society, describing the process as futile, humiliating, and disgraceful.
Sheikh Qassem called on Lebanese officials to end the direct negotiations and instead unite the country around the principle of a sovereign Lebanese state capable of confronting external pressure and aggression.
Debate Continues Over Trial Zones
Meanwhile, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun continued to defend the negotiations and the proposed mechanism for implementation.
Aoun stated that the American mediator would oversee the timing and implementation process once all parties reached an agreement and the necessary guarantees were secured.
He also revealed that Lebanon had proposed the establishment of an initial “trial zone” that would include Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, Zawtar al-Gharbiyah, and the historic al-Shaqif Fortress.
The proposal has sparked growing debate in Lebanon as political and Resistance leaders continue to question arrangements that require commitments from Lebanon and Hizbullah while leaving key issues related to Israeli withdrawal unresolved. (PW)