Federal Lebanon blames Hezbollah for stalled negotiations with Israel

21/05/2026

MOUNT LEBANON — Negotiations between Lebanon and Israel remain unresolved, with no breakthrough in sight to end the war. This situation is widely attributed to the inflexibility of the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and its allegiance to the Iranian regime.

Following its weekly meeting, Federal Lebanon issued a statement asserting that, “the only obstacle to progress in the Lebanese-Israeli talks is [Hezbollah’s] armed power, which continues to dictate the country’s decisions on war and peace.” The group added that, “Lebanese authorities have failed to assert control over the militia or heed the majority of the population’s desire for peace, further proving that a strong and functional state cannot be built under the current centralized system.”

Federal Lebanon also condemned what it described as the Lebanese state’s failure to fulfill its obligations and implement its own resolutions, stating:

“In truth, the rhetoric of the Lebanese leadership and its promises remain ink on paper as long as it continues to capitulate to the Shiite militia, which has never ceased — at least since the war of revenge for Khamenei — to threaten legitimacy by insisting on its constitutional right to conduct direct negotiations with Israel and declaring its intention to monopolize legitimate violence.”

The group said Lebanese leadership must end what it described as habitual accommodation of an armed sectarian project, arguing that such tolerance has often been justified in the name of national unity or civil peace while allowing the group to consolidate influence and preserve its armed capabilities.

It added that, over the years, those opposing this influence have paid a heavy price, citing assassinations, displacement, and political and security pressure. The statement referred to several past incidents and accused authorities’ leniency of contributing to repeated violations in areas it said have been turned into corridors for agendas that do not reflect the will of their residents.

Federal Lebanon then posed the following questions:

“How long will political forces continue to deal with these realities through accommodation, fear, and waiting for miracles? And when will this state of silent anger turn into an organized political and popular uprising that refuses to turn all components of the nation into fuel for the projects of forces that represent only one single component?”

The group condemned what it described as an ongoing campaign of hostility originating from the environment of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, which it said has targeted Christian religious symbols following the circulation of an animated video aired by LBCI.

Federal Lebanon also warned of what it called the growing intensity of exclusionary rhetoric, including recent statements related to the potential resettlement of displaced Shiites in Byblos and Keserwan. It argued that responses should not mirror hostility with hostility, but cautioned against relying on what it described as idealized narratives of Lebanese identity that, in its view, fail to reflect the lived realities of Christians amid political pressure, demographic change, and economic decline.

“Lebanese Christians are a people,” Federal Lebanon concluded. “And like any other people, they have the right to manage their own affairs while recognizing the same right for everyone else.”