March 05, 2025
By Nasser Kandil
• It was not unexpected that President General Joseph Aoun would remain within his established intellectual and political framework in his address at the Arab Summit. His perspective on Lebanese and regional affairs, rooted in the notion of “others’ wars on Lebanese soil”, his belief in the effectiveness of diplomatic solutions to deter aggression and end occupation, and his rejection of political axes and the exploitation of just causes for factional interests, carried implicit messages that could be perceived as negative by resistance forces in Lebanon and the region.
• What stood out in the president’s speech, however, was his bold and courageous stance on the Palestinian cause, particularly significant coming from a leader who adheres to the aforementioned political school of thought. He voiced what many other Arab leaders refrained from saying: that Palestine is a cause of justice, and justice is upheld only by strength, whether the strength of position and reasoning or, when necessary, the strength of force. He affirmed that there can be no stability or peace without Palestine at a time when Western and Arab narratives aggressively promote normalisation as a means to entrench the supposed demise of the Palestinian cause. This stance was especially striking given the emergence of voices, even within circles claiming affinity to the president, that market normalisation as an inevitable reality and declare Palestine forgotten, its cause finished.
• Regarding Lebanon, the president was unequivocal in his depiction of Israeli occupation and aggression, without endorsing or even subtly engaging in narratives that blame the resistance for provocation or escalation. He underscored the priority of ending the occupation and preventing further attacks, without linking these national imperatives to debates over the relationship between the state and the resistance. While he did mention the restoration of state authority, its responsibility for national defense, and the exclusive control of arms, he deliberately avoided any direct reference to the resistance’s weapons or any suggestion that disarmament could be part of a bargain for halting aggression, liberating territory, or facilitating reconstruction.
• Any Lebanese has the right to disagree with the president’s approach to national, regional, and international politics. However, no one can deny that his address at the Arab Summit was both courageous and patriotic, thus unequivocally presidential.
