Lebanese politician Camille Dory Chamoun, chairman of the National Liberal Party, said that he does not seek war with Israel. The Christian politician made his remarks in an interview that aired on Sawt Beirut International (Lebanon) on May 16, 2021
- 1982 Israeli invasion solved problem of Palestinian terrorism for us
- The Israelis relieved us of a 'major plague'
- If you want to hold collaborators to account, you'll have to throw half of Lebanon in jail
Camille Dory Chamoun: "He was defending Lebanon's identity at all costs against the Palestinians and all the terrorists. If you want to place on trial the collaborators who sympathized with Israel, especially during its invasion, you should throw at least half of Lebanon into jail. Let's not make fools of ourselves."
Interviewer: "Do you support normalization of relations with Israel, and bringing the conflict with Israel to an end?"
Camille Dory Chamoun: "I support comprehensive peace. I support peace, I support Lebanon's neutrality, as was suggested today by Patriarch [Rai]..."
Interviewer: "You support Lebanon's neutrality with regard to Israel as well?"
Camille Dory Chamoun: "With regard to everybody."
Interviewer: "Including Israel?"
Camille Dory Chamoun: "We don't want wars. We are fed up with wars. We are fed up with weapons. We want to prosper. We want to live."
Interviewer: "You don't want wars, but what if they do want them?"
Camille Dory Chamoun: "Who?"
Interviewer: "The Israelis."
Camille Dory Chamoun: "The Israelis do not want war. If you do not attack them, they will not attack you. But when you allow acts of aggression against Israel to be launched from your land, you will surely encounter a painful strike in return. They are not playing games. As Lebanese, it is not in our best interest to be in a state of war with anyone today. We are business people."
Interviewer: "Some people say that in 1982, when Israel invaded, you applauded it."
Camille Dory Chamoun: "Everybody did. The Shi'ites threw more rice and roses at them than we did. Ultimately, Israel invaded and resolved the problem of the Palestinians for us. We took the Palestinians in as refugees, and they turned against us, in an attempt to turn Lebanon into an alternative Palestine. This was rejected by everybody."
Interviewer: "The Israeli invasion relieved Lebanon of the big problem of the Palestinians?"
Camille Dory Chamoun: "Yes. The Israeli invasion caused much destruction and killed many people... I do not support the invasion, but if we want to be serious, the Palestinian actions on our land constituted a heavy burden. They came to us as refugees after the Nakba. They came in small numbers – 35,000 or 50,000 – but then they became 100,000, and later a half a million... Then they were given the right to carry arms, and then they started attacking Israel from Lebanese land, even though they did not dare do it from any other Arab country. They got us entangled in huge problems. They wanted to take control of the country, and said that the road to Palestine passes through Jounieh. We do not forget all this. They divided Lebanon and the Lebanese people. [Israel] definitely relieved us of a major plague."