I take refuge in Allah from the stoned devil. In the Name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Most Merciful. Peace be upon the Seal of Prophets, our Master and Prophet, Abi Al Qassem Mohammad, on his chaste and pure Household, on his chosen companions and on all messengers and prophets.

Peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings.

We meet today on this dear annual anniversary of the historic epic of steadfastness, resistance, heroism, and victory.

On this dear anniversary, we must renew our praise to Allah Al Mighty on pushing away calamities, strengthening our hearts, guiding our minds, and the great victory He bestowed on Lebanon, the Lebanese people, the Lebanese resistance, and the Lebanese Army, and in fact on the entire nation. This is a divine blessing bestowed on the entire nation in face of what was threatening it through that aggression as we will see in a while when we go back to this issue.
Praise be to Allah always for all His uncountable and unlimited kindnesses and blessings. {Should you list the blessings of Allah, you would not be able to count them}.

It is also our obligation tonight to thank and salute the souls of the martyrs who were killed and whose blood was shed so that we live with dignity and pride and who are still being martyred one after the other with all bravery and heroism. It is our obligation tonight to laud specially Martyr Leader Hajj Ibrahim Al Hajj who is known as brethren Abu Mohammad Selman who led the epic of steadfastness and confrontation in the borderline town of Aita Ashaab for 33 long days. Our salutations to all martyrs – the martyrs of all resistance movements, forces, and parties – the martyrs of the people, the Lebanese Army martyrs, the martyrs of the security forces, the martyrs of the civil defense, and the media outlets martyrs. We extend our salutations to every martyr who was raised to His Creator in that oppressive, aggressive war. We extend our regards to every loyal wounded, to every prideful steadfast person, to every tolerant displaced who was sure of his dignified return, and to all the honorable families – the families of the martyrs and the wounded, the families that remained steadfast, the families which were displaced, and the families which received the displaced and embraced them. We extend our regards to all presidents and leaders who assumed responsibility and partook in making victory. As for those who did not show any interest but on the contrary crippled making victory, let’s keep them aside as we don’t want to make any problem with anyone. On the other hand, we laud all those who assumed responsibility and partook in making victory whether presidents, leaders, forces, elites, and every one who showed solidarity and support whether states, governments, or peoples. We extend our sincere regards to all who did not refrain from offering any kind of support despite all dangers – I mean the Islamic Resistance in Iran and Syria. Still, I must thank dearly those who after Allah Al Mighty had all the virtue in making this historic epic. They are the heroic resistance fighters who remained steadfast in all their posts, fought with all bravery, took the enemy by surprise, intimidated him, and toppled all his schemes, tactics, and minds. They even transferred the battle to his side without showing any sense of boredom, hesitation, feebleness, melancholy, and weakness despite the cruelty of the aggression and the massacres of the enemy perpetrated against their families and dear ones in the villages, cities, and towns. After all, it was these resistance fighters who forced the enemy to shout and cry for his American masters to help and put an end to the war in the last days. Thus was the divine, historic victory in July War.

We must also recall with all awe and admiration all the leaders of the resistance especially the martyr leaders and more precisely the Master of the Islamic Resistance martyrs – Sayyed Abbass Mussawi – the Sheikh of the Islamic Resistance martyrs – Sheikh Ragheb Harb – and the Leader Martyr whose virtues and efforts were enormous and great in this war – Hajj Imad Moghniyeh or Hajj Ridwan as he is known – besides all those who established this resistance day after day and generation after generation. We must recall with much reverence the establisher of this heroic resistance in Lebanon – His Eminence leader Imam Sayyed Mussa Sader especially that we are days away from marking the painful incident of his kidnap.

Brothers and sisters! Much was said about July War. Speeches were delivered as well as lectures and lessons. Books were written and studies were put. Investigations were made and morals were drawn by friends and foes in the world and in the region as well as by us. Still this war, the events of this war, and the repercussions of this war on all levels and domains are the issue for research, investigation and discussion simply because it was not a small war or a trivial incident. Rather it was a true war with political moral, economic, and historic dimensions and targets that transcend Lebanon and Palestine to cover the entire region and even to influence the international equation. It is enough to recall what the former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said then on July Aggression to the effect that it was the labor pain for the birth of a Neo Middle East. So the war had regional targets and dimensions as well as international targets and dimensions. Much of this given was revealed during the war. However, following the war, all the given was revealed from the articles which were written, the journalistic interviews which were recorded, the investigations which were made, the studies which were carried, and the memoirs which were written by presidents, leaders of states, generals, and foreign ministers. All of that provided the required given and documents especially what the Israelis said and interpreted, what the Americans said and interpreted, and what one of the senior US men of intellect told me. In fact, this is not a secret. It was written in a number of articles.

Later on, it was revealed that July War – July Aggression – was a primary chain in a series of stages which had decisive targets. In 2006, it was required via the war on Lebanon first to put an end to the resistance in Lebanon and to crush the resistance in Lebanon and not only to disarm the resistance with the persistence of the structure and the persons or this entity which may get armed again later on. No, what was put forth was not disarming or disbanding the resistance. What was required was crushing the resistance and killing its leaders and cadres and hitting its joints and resistance men and arresting the greatest number of them. You can still remember that they were preparing a prison in one of the settlements in the north or in the middle of the Zionist entity to arrest 10000 persons. They wanted to achieve a structural change via this war which was a chain in a series which was to carry on with the end of the resistance in Lebanon. These are given and information. I am not making an analysis. Under the pretext that Syria backed the resistance and provided it with arms, rockets, and qualitative arms, the Israelis would then proceed and hit Syria what would lead to toppling the regime and the establishment of a friendly alternative which is allied with the USA.

I want to remind you that all of that took place in 2006 following the US occupation of Iraq and the major US military presence in the region. The third chain in the series was hitting the Palestinian resistance especially in Gaza Strip. Those who mentioned this said that all of that was supposed to be achieved in 2006 and before the end of 2006. That’s because partial elections were to take place in the US Congress. George Bush and the Neo Conservatives wanted to reach the legislative elections having in their hands three heads dripping blood: the head of the resistance in Lebanon, the head of the resistance in Palestine, and the head of the regime in Syria. This is according to the terminology of the Americans themselves.

Thus if we were observing the US media prior to July War, we would have noticed great exaggeration especially for Hizbullah, Hamas, Jihad, and the regime in Syria and their role in so-called “terrorism”.

All of that was a kind of psychological, media, and moral preparation so that if the three heads were cut off, George Bush would tell the Americans: I cut off for you three heads of international terrorism. Thus you have nothing but to vote for me as I can guarantee the interest and the future of the United States. Following his victory in the US Congress, the following step would be preparing for the war on Iran and toppling the regime in the Islamic Republic in 2007. I am not talking for history. I rather want to stop on the targets behind this track which are in fact two:

First: The firm compact US control over the oil, gas, and energy resources in the region. Well, Iraq is in their hands. They would lay their hands on the region here, hit the resistance movements, topple the regime in Iran, and put their hands on Iran. They are already in the Gulf. The main resources of energy in the world are in this area.

Second: The true targeting of the resistance movements, of Iran, and of Syria mounts in fact to putting an end to the Palestinian cause and imposing a settlement on the Palestinians and on the Arabs with US conditions. This was the target. This track was set to achieve this goal, and the elements of this track were the direct US occupation of Iraq and previously of Afghanistan which was occupied as a reaction to the events of September 11. Second comes the Israeli war as Israel was required to hit the resistance in Lebanon, topple the regime in Syria via the war, and put an end to the resistance in Palestine so as to achieve these goals.

How was this track crippled? Who crippled it? Why was it toppled?

Thanks for the resistance in Lebanon, the legendary Lebanese steadfastness, and all those whom I lauded in my prelude. The victory of the resistance in July War toppled this track or at least crippled it.

Why? It is because of the results in the battlefield. This is what I talked about on al Qods Day, and here I am reiterating this point as we address Gaza, the resistance in Gaza, the people of Gaza, and our Palestinian brethrens. The battlefield forced the Israelis to cry out when they reached a point in which they were not able to do anything. The air force was exhausted. The land force was exhausted. The sea force was canceled from the equation. Operations behind the borderlines came to be a very dangerous adventure due to the battlefield developments which took place. The Israelis reached a point where they were heading to a military catastrophe. Thus they called on the Americans to stop the war. All what was written in memoirs and all what we were told by Arab foreign ministers and leaders who partook in the talks in New York like on these days and nights assert this given.

Thus the steadfastness of Lebanon – the steadfastness of the resistance in the battlefield first, the popular steadfastness and incubation of the resistance second, and the political steadfastness third though we had a great political problem internally – forced the Americans, the Israelis, the Europeans, and the Security Council to make concessions concerning most of the conditions which they put in the first, second, and third weeks of the war to stop the aggression against Lebanon.

The result was:

First: The resistance in Lebanon remained. It was not crushed. Its structure was not hit. It was not disarmed. On the contrary, the resistance in Lebanon grew more and more whether in its structure, number, arms, and popularity, esteem, and confidence it enjoyed.

Second: The Israeli war did not reach Syria because it flopped in Lebanon. Should the Israelis have proceeded in Lebanon they would have been moving towards a catastrophe. Thus how were they to broaden the compass of the war?

Third: The war on Gaza did not take place in 2006 or it was postponed. Before the war in Lebanon, there were violent aerial operations against Gaza Strip. So at least the war against Gaza was postponed to the end of 2008. Moreover, the resistance operations against the US occupation in Iraq escalated, and consequently, the political steadfastness in Iraq, the resistance in Iraq, and the Iraqi national will led to the withdrawal of the US occupation without keeping any barracks or gaining any immunity for US soldiers and officers. Consequently, the Neo Conservatives lost the elections and a new administration came to power. Thus this track came to an absolute end.

That does not mean that the US goals were toppled. No! We must always keep in mind that there are always fixed US goals in the region.

To achieve these goals, the US administration follows definite tracks or put specific schemes and projects. When a track is toppled, it resorts to another, a third, a forth, and a fifth until an absolute end is put to the entire US-Israeli project in the region. Only then there will remain no project or target or track. However, as long as the US-Israeli scheme and these US targets – part of which are Israeli targets – exist, it will always search for tracks on the light of the existing capabilities, events, developments, and factors.

Well, this war flopped.

We said all of this first to usher into the main study which is the main part of tonight’s speech.

Second, we want to remind of the magnitude of the political and historic victory with which July War was so that it would not be forgotten amid the current events and developments.

Lebanon, the Lebanese people, the Lebanese resistance, the state, the army, and everyone who had a true hand in this achievement and this historic victory made this great, historic, political, military, intellectual, cultural, moral, and humanistic achievement whose repercussions are still valid until our very day.

Third, we want to assert before the current and upcoming dangers and intimidations that we are all able to confront these dangers and we are able to topple any track conspiring against our region, country, countries, peoples, and sanctities. That’s because in July War, when the Americans adopted this track they had all the elements of strength. I even claim that at that time the Americans were at the peak of their strength. In fact, not a power in history and in the world reached the peak the Americans reached following 2001 and 2002. The peak of the US military, security, political, information, and media power and the peak of US intimidation and ferocity was in that decade.

Second, the regional and international conditions were favorable. There were no Soviet Union, no socialist camp, and no Arab world. All of these collapsed before the USA. So the regional and international conditions were very favorable.

Those who were able to confront that track and topple it at that time are able to confront any other track and topple it. I am not talking about a specific side but rather about the sum of these sides in the region from Lebanon to Palestine to Syria to Iraq to Iran and the other sides in the region – every side according to its capacities, post, and capabilities. This is another goal from recalling all of the above.

In our viewpoint, the Israeli aggression and war taking place against Gaza Strip is part of a new track. We said that the first track was toppled. The region moved to other developments and events which we may differ in evaluating, reading, and specifying their reasons. However the entire Arab region entered a new status quo.

Well, on light on this new status quo, the Americans or the other antagonistic project drew a new track to achieve its goals which are still the same: controlling the region and the resources of oil in the region, achieving victory for the Israelis, liquidating the Palestinian cause, and imposing condition on the Palestinians and the Arabs with Israeli provisions. So they are the same targets. They did not change. From time to time, only the tracks and tactics change.

What is taking place in Gaza today is part of this new track which started before the launch of the war on Gaza. Now Gaza is a chain in a series or one of the stages of the new track which consists of two elements as in the previous decade. I said that in the previous decade there were two elements: the first element is the direct military action which led to the occupation of Iraq and the control over the Gulf region via this occupation. The second element is Israel, the Israeli army, and the Israeli war.

Following all what afflicted them and their withdrawal from Iraq and their crisis in Afghanistan, the Americans today are very much cautions of any military return to the region or at least of any military land return. Thus when they talk about US intervention in Iraq, Obama, the Secretary of State, the Secretary Defense, and the National Security officials daily say that they will not dispatch land troops or soldiers or infantry soldiers. This one way or another expresses this condition.

Well, today there are two factors exploited in this track. I will say things in their names. To all those who listen to me, please open your minds and hearts because we are all in Lebanon and the region in a stage of existential danger. Thus we will not talk about privileges, perfections, and better and more prosperous conditions. We are talking about the very existence.

Well, today there is a new track which I will talk about before going back to the two factors. The new track is more difficult and more dangerous than the previous one because it is not the track of toppling regimes and establishing alternative authorities. In such a track, when you topple a regime and bring along an alternative authority, the country remains as an entity; the state remains, the borders remain, the social structure remains or it might be harmed, and the army remains or might be harmed. The only thing that takes place is toppling an authority and bringing along an alternative authority.

The new track is not that of toppling regimes and establishing alternative regimes. It is rather the track we talked about in more than one occasion. It is the track of demolishing and ruining states, armies, peoples, and entities. We do not need evidence on what is taking place. We will go to that later. So it is the track of demolishing, disintegrating, crushing, and ruining everything.

The Americans are moving in this track along with all those who are with the Americans in the region including Israel too. They want to draw a new map for the region. However, on what is this new map to be drawn? New maps were drawn for the region following World War I and World War II. However, now on what they want to draw a new map for the region? They want to draw it on the disjoined limbs not only of individuals but also of states, peoples, societies, and ruins. So it is not that pillars and walls would remain and we would have only to repair them and rebuild the ceiling. The new map is to be drawn on baffled minds as a result of the events which are taking place and are plotted to take place in the region. Thus minds would become baffled: Where are we to go? What choices do we have? What are we to do? The new map is to be drawn also on terrified hearts. There is a very moving scene: a helicopter in Sinjar – I don’t remember now whether it is an Iraqi helicopter or an American helicopter though I believe it is an Iraqi helicopter – carrying women and children from land. Just look at their faces and eyes and recall your women and children to know on what the new map of the region is to be drawn. It is to be drawn on disjoined limbs, ruins and wrecks, baffled minds, and terrified hearts. They want us all in the region to reach a catastrophe, and to end this catastrophe we would accept any dictations. Just put an end to this catastrophe. Save us from this calamity and you will have whatever you want in return. We are even ready to offer you our eyes. It would be a social, security, political, economic, intellectual, mental, and emotional catastrophe. Even worse, the main enemy would be the savior and the rescuer after all. This is where the region would be dragged to.

Well, what are the main factors of this track?

The first factor is the Israelis. This is what I talked about when talking about the demolition and ruining taking places in Gaza. As the Palestinian brethrens said, the true and factual target is hitting the resistance, disarming the resistance, putting an end to the structure of the resistance, and making the people in Gaza Strip frustrated from everything called resistance and that thus surrender. As such nothing would remain but ruin and wrecks.

The second factor is no less dangerous. It is the Takfiri current which the ISIL has become today the most prominent and evident manifestation of. ISIL is the greatest manifestation of this current.

Well, these are the factors of this new track. I will return later to this point when I talk about ISIL and the new track. However, now I want to usher to this study through this question which is the main idea in tonight’s speech. Is it possible to gain victory over this new track and to defeat it? Yes! I tell the Lebanese, the Syrians, the Iraqis, the Palestinians, and all the peoples of the region: Yes, it is possible to defeat this new track as the previous track was defeated. However, this can’t be achieved by wishes. This may be achieved with action supported with supplication. This requires conditions and elements and special efforts to be exerted.

There are two points which I want to stress on. Yes, we can reach a place in which we can defeat this new track.

The first title is that we comprehend and believe that there is a true existential threat confronting us. First, we must comprehend whether there is such a threat or not.

Second, we must comprehend whether there is a true serious threat or whether it is a joke or an absurd jest. What are the dimensions of this danger, the capabilities of this danger, and the capacities of this danger? We must understand, comprehend, and believe this first. So no one must say that there is nothing and that this is mere exaggeration. No one must say there is nothing in the region. There is no danger. This is an absurd jest. This is a transient incident. There is nothing. Well, this is wrong. Why? In fact, there must be a state between exaggeration and understatement.

That’s because you in Lebanon may come face to face before this danger at a time you have not prepared anything. You have no strategy. You have no elements of strength. You did not get ready. You have no plan. Then you will feel remorse, but that would be of no good to you at a time you would have run out of time. That is wrong. Those who say there is nothing of this sort are insisting stubbornly against the real fact. You see all what is taking place and still you say there is no danger!

Second: you would be exaggerating if you present things in a magnitude greater than their true magnitude what might lead to a state of horror, fear, frustration, and despair. Thus the spirit of defeat and surrender would sneak to the souls. People might start thinking of how to gather their things and pack their bags and travel. This would prepare his passport. That would think of a place to hide in because things are over. Danger is proceeding and he has no power to confront it as what befell the region during the Mongol invasion for example.

So it is neither true to say that there is nothing and that this is a jest nor that there is no ability to confront and thus a state of despair and frustration and defeat might prevail. Both tracks are wrong. What’s true is that we comprehend the danger, the magnitude of this danger, the capacities of this danger, and the capabilities of this danger and believe that there is a danger. This is the first point.

The second point is to search for the means to confront this threat, to topple it, to put an end to it, and to defeat it. The means must be true, factual, and serious. So we must not go to illusions and mirage options. We must not go for choices which were tried and proved to be fruitless. We must go for factual choices from the history of our region, from the history of our peoples, from the history of our nation, and from the history of the entire humanity while taking into consideration all the facts, data, and international, regional, and local equations. Then we would say there is such and such and so and so means. Then we would put a plan and say these are the elements of this plan and get ready to confront this threat. Through these two points it is possible to confront this threat taking into consideration July War, the current war on Gaza, the previous war on Gaza, the experiences of the resistance and what took place in the region, and the experiences of the Palestinians, the Lebanese, the peoples of the region, and even the entire Arab world, and the entire Islamic war over decades – meaning before 1948 to our present day. We had painful and sorrowful experiences and at times humiliating experiences. Some experiences were very hard on the peoples, the governments, the generations…. This is what we inherited. We inherited the experience of Israel, the Zionist project, the Zionist expansion…

First and only to make the idea clear with the beginning of the twentieth century, they started bringing along the Zionist families, peasants, craftsmen, and merchants to Palestine.

What was the number of the Arabs and what was the number of the Jews? What was the number of the Jews in Palestine? They were incomparable. If you would tell any Palestinian or any Arab that the Jews want to establish a state in Palestine via the Zionist project, he would answer you saying: You are kidding indeed. You are lying for sure.

They started getting the families along. There was no evaluation of the danger at first. Some people did not foresee the danger at first. Some people underestimated it. Others oversimplified it. Others classified it under the human dimension. They said: Poor they! They are homeless and scattered in the states. In WWII they were exposed to such and such. Of what harm it would be if some families were brought along and settled in our regions? The land of Palestine is wide, and the people of Palestine do not cover the entire Palestinian geography.

Since the very beginning, these families were distributed in settlements pursuant to military and security offices. From the very beginning, nothing took place by accident. However, the peoples, the elites, the governments, and many others did not comprehend this point. Not all of them though; some people comprehended what took place. Some people were conscious of what took place. Others have previous expectations and sounded the bell of alarm. However, the overwhelming majority did not comprehend this point.

In 1948, they said: “They want to take the land occupied since 1948 and establish a state. Well, the land of Palestine is vast, and the Arab land is vast”. They did not deal with that as a danger and that Israel will extend with its eye on al Qods and other areas.

Also in 1967, some Arabs used to find excuses to Israel. They used to say: “Israel has expansionary goals! That’s impossible. It does not want to seize the Bank. It does not put its eyes on west al Qods. It does not want to enter Jordan, Golan Heights, and definite regions in Lebanon. What Israel perpetrated in 1967 was a pre-emptive war because it had information that the Arab states and the Arab armies – especially both the Egyptian and the Syrian Arab armies – were preparing themselves for a final war with the Israelis besides the Palestinian resistance factions which existed then. Poor Israelis! They have waged a pre-emptive war. However, they do not want to expand. Wasn’t this said in the Arab world?

The magnitude of threat started to mushroom until we reached a place in which Israel became a state having the most powerful army in the world. It became the most powerful state in the world which threatens, bombards, displaces, kills, perpetrates massacres, goes to the negotiations table, and imposes conditions. How did we reach this result? Here we go back to the first title as there was debate over whether the Zionists who came from all around the world posed a threat or not. In case they posed a threat, what is the magnitude of this threat? What are the capacities and elements of strength of this threat? This is first.

Here we come to the second title. They bet on wrong choices. Only few did not. I will discuss the choices of these few later.

Some bet on the international community, international institutions, and the Arab relations with their allies. Some believed the English; others believed the French; others believed the Americans. Others bet on international intervention and then on the Arab League and on waiting for a united Arab strategy. That took place in Lebanon, in Palestine, and in several states in all the confrontations with the Zionist project. Others bet on the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and the unity of the Arab and Islamic world. What is this? We remained waiting for ten years followed by another ten years and followed also by another ten years. By today, we have been waiting for 70 years and even more if we started counting from the previous century.

They resorted to choices such as going to negotiations, turning to the world, to the international community, to the Arab conscience, to the Human Rights Chart, and to Geneva Agreement for help. That did not lead to the true road. Experiences show that that did not lead anywhere, and the evidence is what befell the Palestinians, the Lebanese, and the peoples of the region over all of these decades. Whoever has another logic let him present it.

However, the only thing which was true from the very beginning was going to so called armed struggle, so called war of liberation, and so called military choice as there were terrorist gangs supported by some foreign states which occupied the Palestinian territories in 1948, displaced the Palestinian people and turned them to refugees in their own land and outside Palestine. It was also required that the nation be awakened, that armies be prepared, that the resistance factions get ready, and that everyone work to achieve this goal and to expel these invaders. This is the right path. There was no other right path.

However, this path was adopted partially. The Palestinian resistance factions with all its popular forms emerged from the very beginning – before 1948 and after 1948. All of this was recorded as a history, and lessens must be drawn from it as a history.

Then came the confrontation with Egypt, confronting the tripartite aggression by the end of the 50s, and preparing following 1967 to the war with Israel which took place in 1973 in which the Egyptian and the Syrian armies waged heroic battles ending in what it ended in.

Because of the resistance movements in Lebanon and in Palestine, achievements took place and victories were made. These are the right kind of choices and not the miserable choices which either we laugh on ourselves with or we laugh on our peoples with or we amuse ourselves with.

For example, one of the theories which remained for tens of years is that the solution is establishing an Arab lobby as there is a Zionist lobby. As such equilibrium would be made between us and the Zionist lobby, and thus we would pressure the American administration and reach a solution in the Middle East. What is this? This talk is for amusement. This is a kind of lying on the people. This is a legend and not only a theory.

This is the experience that took place in the Israeli file. Now the bet is on Gaza, on the people of Gaza, on its fighting and struggling factions, on its peoples, its will, its resistance because it depends on this choice and does not want to surrender to the Israeli enemy. They do not want to bow despite all the sacrifices. They are not losses but rather sacrifices: martyrs, wounded, demolition, and everything. There is no other choice.

Now let any Palestinian brother or sister who lives in Gaza Strip or in any place recall all the modern history – we are not talking about things that took place 200 years ago or a 1000 years ago. Thus we conclude that this path is the right path and this for sure would lead to a result and in many places would lead to results.

This is the implementation of the two titles on a file which is still valid, alive, vital, and dangerous – meaning confronting the Zionist project.

We come now to the second sample which exists now. I want to talk a little now. I want to say: “O brothers and sisters! I am addressing the Lebanese and all the peoples of the region who are listening to me. Based on all what previously was mentioned and apart from all what took place in the past three weeks and the discrepancies on the viewpoints, the evaluation, the reasons, and assuming responsibilities and saying we are right and blaming the other, let’s put all of this aside because all of that is of no use. Why? Because there is a true danger on your entities, sanctities, states, and on your foreign existence, houses, mosques, churches, women, and children. Consequently, today it’s no time for reconsideration. Are we to make reconsiderations now? Well, we want to make that later on. However, today the entire region and the peoples of the entire region are before a new, great, and true danger.

Today, let’s see what is called ISIL and what is taking place today? Let’s talk about facts.

Today, there is a regime which has become a state which is occupying and controlling a very vast geographic area – a part of Syria, and a part of the Iraqi territories. In fact, this area is much larger than some of the states in the region and the world. If we talk about the geographic area, they are controlling the sources of energy, oil, gas, and others. They control major rivers, major water dams. They have enormous quantities of arms and artilleries. They sell oil, and there are those who buy from them and trade with them and facilitate this operation. This is questionable. There are countries which have thousand problems in selling an oil carrier. How is ISIL able to sell and be financed before the eyes of the international community and regional countries for example? This organization has a great number of fighters too. The overwhelming majority of the main fighters are not Syrian or Iraqi fighters. They are rather fighters who were brought along from abroad. Their travel and their crossing the border were facilitated. This is also questionable. This organization which has this presence and has a special doctrine, view, understanding, and conduct which we noticed from Syria to Iraq started perpetrating massacres. It is not that they were engaged in a war. Rather they committed massacres, killed prisoners and captives, and killed innocent people. They started with their fellow tribesman – the followers of the same organization, the same intellect, the same pillar, and the same pledge. They are the al-Nusra. Then they started killing and are still killing the rest of their allies who are naturally their allies – meaning the Syrian armed forces. Battles are taking place now in the northern reef in Aleppo between ISIL and the rest of the factions. In fact, in some places al-Nusra kept themselves aside. The battles are taking place in Reef Idlib and north Idlib. Major battles took place in Deir Al-Zour. In Iraq and in Syria they fight, kill, and even slaughter everyone who differs with them in their viewpoints. So notice that they choose the means that depends on terrorizing. Well, if you concluded that you are allowed to kill those people, open fire on them and kill them. But no, they do not kill them except by slaughtering them before the camera. They even put it on the you-tube and broadcast it on satellite outlets so that the scene is seen worldwide. This is part of the psychological war that aims at spreading fear, terror, and horror among the peoples of the region, the governments, and the armies of the region. I would like to tell you that the massacres which were perpetrated are in the first place against Sunnis. You can review the numbers. Who killed the Sunnis? Who killed the Sunni scholars who are not with the regimes but rather against the regimes? See the people who were killed by ISIL. That’s because the Sunnis whom we know as Sunnis are according to ISIL considered as unbelievers. That’s because according to their doctrinal, intellectual, and jurisprudential categorizations, the unbelievers are so and so and so. This also applies to the Ash’aris, and most of the Sunnis in the world are Ash’aris in the doctrinal and intellectual sense of the word. However, if they were not Ash’aris but they differ with them politically or over the pledge, they would kill them. Didn’t this take place?

What about the recent war waged by the ISIL? Well are the Kurds Christians or Shiah? Their majority are Sunnis. In this battle, over a million and a half million were displaced because of the ISIL war in Iraq. They are Sunnis. They are neither Shiah, nor Christians, nor Oyazdians. Well, in Iraq, ISIL did not spare anyone of whatever religion: Muslims, Christians, and Oyazdians. They did not spare anyone of whatever sect: Sunnis and Shiah. They did not spare anyone even if talking about races and nationalities: Arabs, Kurds, and Turkmen. They did not spare anyone. Also in the battle in Syria, the same thing took place. They spared neither Arabs nor Kurds.

The ISIL ruined sanctities, sacred shrines, mosques, and churches. They want to forcefully impose a definite life-style with the force of arms and terrorizing people – all people and not only Christians but rather Muslims and Christians alike. This life-style does not have anything to do with Islam, with Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), or with the Holy Quran. This is something else. Go and meet scholars. Ask all sects.

Well, does this scene exist or not? Is it a joke? They are announcing their goals. They put their map which they want to draw and they threat and bombard. What is even more dangerous from all of that is that they have a popular ground. Why should we hide behind our finger? They have a popular ground in several Arab states. It is not a Sunni background. No! Their background is the followers of this intellect which labels as an unbeliever everyone other than themselves. They declare killing everyone other than themselves permissible. They take as prisoners everyone’s women except their women. They brag saying we came to slaughter you. That does not belong to any divine religion. No religion revealed by Allah Al Mighty says “we came to slaughter you”. Attributing that to Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) is very dangerous and fake. After opening Mecca, Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) stood confronting Abu Sufyan and so and so… who fought him, displaced him, killed his companions, killed his uncle, devoured his uncle’s liver, confiscated houses, and harmed him severely until he said: “No prophet was harmed as I was harmed.” They fought him until they were frustrated. They became his prisoners and still they remained polytheists. Not all of them became Muslims. Some pretended to be Muslims, and some remained polytheists and ran away and hid themselves. However, what did the Prophet tell them?

Go you are free. He did not behead them. He did not slaughter them. He did not say “we came to slaughter you”. When did he say “we came to slaughter you”? This is the slogan of ISIL. This is the slogan of this current.

So there is a true scene. Whoever says this does not exist lives in another world. In fact, such a person is not allowed to assume responsibility. He is not entitled even to assume the responsibility of his family and not the responsibility of a current or a group or a society or a country. He is not entitled to assume the responsibility of his wife and children. He is not entitled to assume responsibility. This is a clear scene.

As for those who stand behind ISIL, the stories of the Syrian intelligence, the Iraqi intelligence, the Iranian intelligence, and even of Hizbullah fabricating ISIL and running it are absurd. This does not deserve to be commented on. Well, yes there are regional countries which sponsored and are sponsoring ISIL and led it to this place. The Americans may have a hand pursuant to the word Hilary Clinton was quoted as saying. I do not want to be responsible of saying this as I do not know whether this is right or wrong. However, all I know is that the Americans kept a blind eye on that, offered facilitations, and opened the gates to exploit this phenomenon in the track I talked about before. Indeed they are penetrated. Indeed, there is US influence, and whether they know or not, they are serving the US and the Israeli target in this new track.

Well we reached where we reached. Here I want to ask a question before moving to the last part of my speech. I call on every Lebanese, every Palestinian, every Syrian, every Iraqi, and every man in the Gulf to sit alone and make reflections. Allah Al Mighty says: {Do stand before Allah in pairs and singly}.

So put fanaticism aside whether party, sectarian, factional, regional or national fanaticism. Let’s keep personal, party, and political calls aside. Really let’s keep such calls aside this time and sit and think and make reflections. This poses a danger on everyone. Does that pose danger on Hizbullah only? Is there Hizbullah in Deir Al-Zour or in Riqqa or in Mussel? Was Hizbullah fighting ISIL so that the latter invaded Mussel? Does that pose danger on the Shiah only? On Christians only? On the Oyazdians only? On the Alawis only? On the Ishmaels? On the Ibadis who are still far away? Or on Druze only? This poses a threat on everyone and on the Sunnis above all.

Thus we wholeheartedly hope that no one present the battle in the region as a sectarian battle. It is not an Islamic-Christian war. It is not a factional war. It is not a Shiah-Sunni war. It is a war of another kind. It is the war of ISIL which has this annihilative, eliminative, Takfiri, brutal, slaughtering intellect against anyone against them. Their intellect is not based on Islam or on what took place at the time of the Prophet or at the time of the first Muslim Caliphs, or on the map that was previously drawn for the region, or on religious minorities. All of this is deleted. The sects, factions, minorities, churches, mosques, and shrines they are demolishing are 1400 years old. The overwhelming majority of the holy sites they are downing were under Sunni government. However, the ISIL have nothing to do with this history, this intellect, or even this culture. They want to wipe everything. They pose a threat to everyone.

Anyway, first we must know that this poses a danger.

Second, we must discuss what we must do? We are all in the sphere of danger. What must we do? Must we – for example – benefit from the experience of our struggle with the Israeli threat which is still valid today? Shall we – for example – bet on the international community saying we can’t do anything so let’s go and talk with the Americans or the French or the English (as now Russia is preoccupied in Ukraine)? Let’s see what we might do. There is no solution other than resorting to the international community to intervene. What international community would intervene? Where would the international community intervene? Whose side it will take? See what took place in Iraq. I am not calling for an American intervention. However, I just have a question. When ISIL invaded Mussel, Nineveh, and a large section of Salaheddine province, and broke into Diala and perpetrated massacres what forced people to run away in the desert (and all of these massacres are documented and we watched them on the TV), why did not the international community intervene? Why wasn’t Obama’s humanity and the American administration moved? Also when hundreds of thousands of Christians were attacked, they were not moved? In fact, they do not care for the Christians in Mussel or in Iraq or in Syria or in Lebanon. I would like to tell the Christians in Lebanon: Deluded is he among you who believe that the Christians in Lebanon mean anything to America or the west. Before any danger they will tell you what France told the Christians of Iraq: You are welcomed as refugees and we will grant you citizenships too. This is the project some seniors among you heard from the former French president. Does the west really care for the Christians in the region? Do you still seek help from the Americans, French, English, the international community, and the International Security Council after all what took place and is taking place? They do not care for Sunnis, Shiah, Christians, Oyazdians, and even Kurds. They did not care for the Kurds who were killed in Mussel, at the edges of Karkuk, in Zumar and Sinjar. They did not care for the Turkmen or the Arabs. Well, yes when ISIL came close to Erbil, they intervened because Kurdistan means what it means politically, security, and economically to the US administration and to the west. They intervened to tell ISIL that they are not allowed to come close to that area. These are your borders and limits. It is permitted that you slaughter Sunnis. It is permitted that you slaughter Shiah. It is allowed that you slaughter Christians and demolish their churches and imprison their women. It is permitted that you perpetrate genocides against Oyazdians, Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and Turks alike. As for Erbil and Kurdistan, they have a different position on the map. Do you want us to bet on these Americans and on the international community? O Iraqis, Syrians, Lebanese, Jordanians, Palestinians, and peoples of the region! What are you waiting for? Will the Arab League protect you? Are you waiting for an Arab consensus or a united Arab strategy? I want to be very clear and precise. In any country around the world, when anyone feels that his existence is in the sphere of threat, elimination, and annihilation, does he wait for a national consensus? Has such a thing ever happened in history? No! Never!

So the big question is: If we agree that there is a danger threatening us, the question would be: How are we to confront this danger? Where shall we go? What are the capabilities? What are the means? What are the tools? There are major and big responsibilities to be shouldered by the Iraqis, the Syrians, the Palestinians, and the peoples of the region. I want to address the Lebanese and my logic can be applied on all the other peoples and countries because Praise be to Allah there are authorities, leaderships, scholars, parties, and movements which are perfect and great and fit to assume responsibility.

Allow me to go into details concerning the Lebanese application. Well, as Lebanese, do we agree that this danger exists and that it is a lurking danger and not a postponed danger that would come in 2 or 3 or 5 years? This was true before the events of Iraq and the event of Mussel. In fact, the country was in one situation and overnight it became in another situation. Anything may take place overnight in any country because ISIL today is a serious threat to Syria and Iraq. In logic, they say potential and actual. ISIL is an actual threat to Iraq and Syria and a potential threat to the rest of the countries: Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf countries. The Turks even must reconsider their stance. There is a threat against all countries. Well, what is it possible that we as Lebanese do? What we must go to?

There are even questions which are posing themselves seriously nowadays. I even say that we in Hizbullah must make discussions. It’s our obligation to make discussions with the rest of the Lebanese. The rest of the Lebanese must undergo dialogue among themselves. Indeed, I am not calling for a national dialogue conference for this issue because we will not reach anywhere as far as this issue is concerned. What we need is what I said a while ago: Stand before Allah in pairs and singly. Let every party and every group make their own discussions. Then they may communicate together and make bilateral or threefold talks. Let’s as men of intellect, politicians, and elites talk with each other and see what we may do. There is a serious question which is always evoked. It is not an issue of making internal and political settlements among ourselves: Is the solution in the withdrawal of Hizbullah from Syria?

Hizbullah’s main presence is in Qalamoun and Qusair – meaning the bordering area. It is presented that Hizbullah’s withdraw from Qalamoun and Qusair is the solution!

I ask the Lebanese and especially the residents of Bekaa. I ask all the Lebanese Muslims and Christians alike. I am really serious. Put all quarrels aside. To make quarrels everything may be said. Is it true that if Hizbullah withdraws from Syria, the danger will be gone from Lebanon? Will ISIL then leave Lebanon alone? Does the ISIL really have no aspirations in Lebanon? Is it that some Lebanese officials would go to Mussel and meet Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi and tell him to eliminate Lebanon’s 10452 km2 (in addition to some blocks) from the map he broadcasted on TV outlets because we talked with Hizbullah which will withdraw from Syria? Is that a fact or a simplification of things? Will withdrawing from Qusair and Qalamoun protect Lebanon?

Apart from our presence there, and apart from debating whether this is the reason or not as that will be of no use because everyone has his logic and everyone may provide his events, let’s start from the very end. At the time being, the whole region is in danger. There is no time for intellectual luxury as what took place on the first day of July War 2006. Buildings were downed, infrastructure was being bombarded, people were being slaughtered…. Still some people were debating whom to hold responsible. Hizbullah is to be accused because they kidnapped the prisoners.

Well there is a crisis in the country. Let’s address it and then we would debate whom to hold responsible. Now the national responsibility says: Let’s face the war. Now the national responsibility says: Let’s do something to protect the country. Let’s protect our state, our Lebanon, our people, our society, and our region. I am asking you a serious question. Let’s discuss this issue together. Does really our withdrawal from Syria protect Lebanon or does staying in Syria protect Lebanon? Among the other ideas proposed today is expanding the implementation of Resolution 1701 which is applied on the Lebanese southern borders. Well, let’s expand it to cover the rest of the Lebanese borders with Syria. Others said only the Bekai borders. I have another serious question. The situation in the south is perfect. In fact, following July War, the situation changed as far as the Israeli issue is concerned. In the past, Israel used to act with utmost freedom in Lebanon. It used to kidnap and break in and move freely. Now it is not able to carry security operations as it has to take thousands of issues into consideration to do so. Well, some say the south is secure now. Thanks to Resolution 1701 it is secure! Thanks to the presence of the UNIFIL and the international forces. Is this really the case? Do you really say so and believe what you say? Whom are you laughing at? Well, go and ask the residents of the south. Ask the people in Lebanon. What is the validity of this idea?

Does Israel really observe international resolutions? Does Resolution 1701 protect Lebanon? Whom are you laughing at? Are you laughing on a people who had suffered for 60 or 70 years with Israel and now you want this people to believe that Resolution 1701 is protecting Lebanon?

Poor UNIFIL! They are protecting Lebanon! The UNIFIL need protection themselves. Was there no incubating environment, was there no state, and was there no army, the UNIFIL wouldn’t have been able to protect themselves. It is the Army-People-Resistance equation which protected and is protecting Lebanon and the south. The resistance rocket power which they know very well, the capacities of the resistance, the resistance men, and the national doctrine of the Lebanese Army (as the Lebanese Army has no considerable military capabilities) are what protect Lebanon. These elements form the deterrence power and not the international umbrella of Resolution 1701 or the international forces or the UNIFIL. Let no one laugh at the Lebanese and cheat them saying he would protect Irsal, Labweh, Qaa, Ras Baalbeck, Zahle, Mount Lebanon, and Akkar through deploying the UNIFIL there. Is the Lebanese Army able to cover all the borders? Where from are you to get UNIFIL and spread them all over this area? What international umbrella are you talking about? Here I say that there is an international project. There is a track sponsored by the USA to destroy, crush, and ruin everything. Go and ask your allies who are afraid on their states and entities from this international connivance. When we say so about Resolution 1701, we would be wasting our time. Still I say that we must sit together and carry on discussions.

Well over the past few years, the previous government which we were part of and the current government practiced the policy of staying aside. Well does the policy of staying aside protect Lebanon? Well suppose we have followed this policy in the past and currently, and suppose that ISIL controlled Syria and came to be at the borders – God forbids. May this never take place. Suppose ISIL came to be at the borders of Rashaya, Hasbaya, Shebaa, Baalbeck, Bekaa, and the north. Shall we still say there is no danger in that? What are the guarantees? Would the country be protected?

Does the policy of staying aside protect the country? Is it true that we have nothing to do with what is taking place in Syria? Let ISIL, Al Qaeda, or whatever come, we have nothing to do with that. Is this approach realistic? Here I am not talking from the logic of the resistance or from the perspective of our loyalty to Syria. I am talking as a national Lebanese. Let’s say that I am a fanatic Lebanese. Is this policy – the policy of staying aside – which indeed we did not adopt and others did not adopt so far the right policy to be followed? Is it right to reach a point in which the Lebanese National Army is being conspired against, its soldiers are being kidnapped and its soldiers and officers are being slaughtered and still it is not allowed to contact Syria because of the policy of staying aside. Is this logical?

Anyway, these are questions. Let’s talk together. Hizbullah’s presence in Syria: Does staying there or withdrawing from there protect Lebanon? Let’s discuss this. Lebanon is in danger. We have a real problem with whoever says it is not in danger or among the Lebanese. Second, does Resolution 1701 protect the country? Does the policy of staying aside protect the country? Let’s see what is the problem? Let’s carry a quick revision for all of these choices to see together what the problem is.

I will wrap up my speech with our proposition. Between my hands is the last page that contains the head notes. Anyway, what does the logic, the mind, the religion, the Law of Islam and human experience say?

All of these say: When an entity, a state, or a society is before an existential danger, the absolute priority before this existential danger would be to make reorganizations in a way that meets this existential danger. Whoever does not act accordingly would not be acting according to the mind, religion, morals, and humanity. He would be exposing his people to the danger of annihilation while he is sitting and wasting his time with issues he sees as fateful and of priority. Well, such issues may be important but they are not fateful.

The first thing I present to the Lebanese now is the following:

I call on all the Lebanese to comprehend that our country, our entity, and our society is before an existential danger in an exceptional and very dangerous way. I am not exaggerating and whoever does not want to believe let him believe later. In face of this existential danger, we must define our priorities. This in the first place needs loyalty. It requires putting factional, sectarian, party, and personal considerations aside. This confrontation requires loyalty, seriousness, and sacrifices. It is not shameful to reconsider one’s stance. It is not shameful to change one’s speech if that serves the battle of existence. On the contrary, that is required. The mind, religion, and humanity say that is required. We must search for and gather the elements of strength and confront the danger.

The first title is the Lebanese Army and the official security forces. The army and the security forces must be the sides responsible for protecting the country, the people, the villages, and the borders. It is not Hizbullah or any other party. This is the main responsibility. The state must act accordingly and it must be fit to act accordingly.

In debate, some might say we are preventing that. No, we are not. Did we prevent anyone from providing the army with weapons? Did we prevent anyone from providing the army with tanks? Did we prevent anyone from donating aids to the army? On the contrary, we welcome all kinds of donations. What is important is that the army be furnished with arms, and not only with Rios, trucks, and troop carriers that do not stand before B7 or BKC or average arms. No! It is required that the army be provided with true arms. The army and the security forces are responsible of protecting the people, the state, and everyone.

So first, at this stage, there was a project for politicians to deliver some words to support the army. This project was in the hands of journalists, and I don’t know what became of it. However, I like to say what I intended to say then as every person was supposed to talk for three minutes. What is required is true, popular, and official support to the army and not only materialistic support. What do I mean with true support? Today the army has a definite number of soldiers and such and such capacities and artillery. However, in the first place what about its morals, spirits, fighting doctrine, dignity, and pride? This is the responsibility of the state as well as the people.

Today, the primary and main support to be given to the army is that the state stands with the Lebanese Army to restore the captive soldiers and army and security forces officers who were kidnapped and imprisoned. Let no one interpret what I am saying as a kind of instigation. We always talk as such. Every hour and every moment pass while these dear ones are imprisoned is a moment of humiliation to Lebanon and not only to the army. It is a moment of humiliation to the state and to every Lebanese person. We always used to feel offended when there used to be any resistance man in Israeli prisons even if this man did not belong to Hizbullah. It is enough that this prisoner is left in prison.

As for the soldiers and the Lebanese Army and security forces officers who are detained by the armed forces, it is the responsibility of the state to seek to free them. This cause must be addressed in a way that saves the dignity of the army, the security forces and the dignity of this attire and these institutions.

First, the army must not be accused, and second any accusation to the army must be rejected. Every now and then, someone would say the army is cruciferous! What does that mean? The army is Safawi. It is a tool in the hands of Hizbullah. No it is not a tool in the hands of Hizbullah. There is no problem between the army and Hizbullah. On the contrary, this is required on the national level. The army takes pain to have no problem with any political force in the country. What if this political force is a primary faction in the resistance? Is fighting between Hizbullah and the army required? Does this serve the national interest? Indeed not!

All politicians know that the army is not a tool in the hand of Hizbullah at all. All of these accusations must not be made, and they must be rejected if they were made. This is our national army. This is the army of all the Lebanese. It needs this support and this backing on all levels. The same logic applies to the security forces. We must all achieve this so as to have a strong army, soldiers, artillery, spirits, morals, dignity, and confidence to change the equation. This makes a very remarkable change in the equation. Thus at any moment of danger, we would all be by its side shouldering it.

Second comes preserving the current government. We must not allow the dissolve of the current government whatever the discrepancies are because now it is one way or another the only active institution apart from the magnitude of the work it assumes. Everyone can see that the parliament is crippled. We do not have a president apart from allotting responsibilities.

We only have this government. The government is among the elements of power which we must guard until a president is elected and a new government is formed.

The third point is putting an end to party, sectarian, and factional instigation. All forms of instigations must be stopped. Where does instigation lead to? Let’s take for example the cause of Irsal. Today, I will not say anything though there is much to be said. However, we are part of the people who preferred in this very sensitive moment as far as the political issue, the security issue, the national issue, the issue of the army, the issue of the structure of the country to remain silent though there is much to be said. However, you have seen that if they talk about the armed forces once, they attack Hizbullah 20 times. However is what I am saying of any good? Should I say what I am saying a thousand times, it will make no difference. It will only increase the state of congestion.

Today, I read a piece of news, and I do not know the truth about it. I read that the security forces arrested the person who stands behind the Al Ahrar Al Sunna Brigade website. Does this person really stand behind this website? Who is he? What is his relation with this brigade? With whom is his relation? No matter what the result is, must he be tried in the same way as any other person who is stirring sectarian and factional instigations in Lebanon is tried? That’s because some media sides started drawing conclusions based on this arrest. I hope that this would be the beginning in Lebanon, and I hope the trial would cover the politicians too. Let no one say that would harm freedom. In fact, instigation is similar to a booby trapped car. This is not freedom. Sectarian and factional instigation is not freedom. It is rather similar to a booby trapped car. Be responsible as far as this issue is concerned, and an end would be put to instigation.

Fourth come regional reconciliations. Later we would see whether reconciliations would be made concerning the vast political situation or not. However, at least approaches and initiatives must be made among the residents of regions. I will talk in a transparent way. Let’s take for example the region of Irsal Baalbeck Al Hermel and its future. O people of Irsal! O dear brothers! The future of Irsal is Baalbeck Al Hermel. Its future is north Bekaa. Its future is not al-Nusra or ISIL and what is taking place behind the borders. That is not your future. Take the experience of Irsal as an example, before the events, during the events, and after the events. Let the people of Irsal talk about what happened with them. I will not talk about that. I am only saying that someone must go and take initiatives for reconciliations there in Irsal, Labweh, Al Ain, Nabi Othman, Qaa, and Ras Baalbeck. The residents of that entire region must reunite and reconcile. This protects against danger or else the danger will invade us all. The first to pay the price and the first to have paid the price are the people of Irsal. Let’s go to other regions. The social structure might have been become upset due to the recent events. Something must be done between Jabal Mohsen and Bab Attebanah. Something must be done between Dahiyeh and Chweifat as well as in west Beirut, Sidon, Shebaa, the neighborhood of Shebaa, Rashaya, and Hasbaya. This is a clear topic, and things must be done to address it. Indeed this is a responsibility to be shouldered by everyone and not by the state alone. Leaderships, authorities, parties, and political forces are all concerned as far as this issue is concerned.

Some people do not want to tolerate what I am saying but they must tolerate it. A kind of cooperation with Syria is required as far as the issue of the displaced is concerned at least. It is not true that Syria wants to keep the displaced in Lebanon. It is not also true that we can’t find a solution between Lebanon and Syria. However a party can’t do that. This must be assumed by both governments and states. We all agree that this is a serious and important file. It is a dangerous file from all perspectives, and I do not want to go into details. Well what is the solution? Is it in delivering speeches? Is the solution in waiting for the fall of the regime in Syria? Is the solution in waiting for the arrival of ISIL? If ISIL takes over, will the displaced return home or will their number increase in Lebanon? What are we waiting for? What are we – all the Lebanese – waiting for as far as this issue is concerned?

There is no need to insist stubbornly. Official talks between Lebanon and Syria are indispensable. They must all sit on the table. The Lebanese must tell the Syrians that there are a million or a million and a half million or whatever Syrian displaced in Lebanon. Well there are secure regions in Syria where people may live and work in a normal way. How are these people to return? Well if there are places where there are crises how can these crises be addressed? We are ready to help as far as this issue is concerned. We must not be satisfied with holding conferences, delivering speeches, and investing the issue of the displaced in political speeches and political conflicts. That does not solve the problem. What puts an end to the dangers we are talking about whether security danger, political danger, or demographic danger as some Christian leaderships say?

To be serious, we have only a very normal condition. These are Syrian displaced, and our borders are the sea, Occupied Palestine and Syria. How do we address this crisis? Shall we send them to Australia for example? Indeed no! We address it by sitting with the Syrians whether you like them or not and whether they agree with your classification of the regime or not. Classify the regime as it appeals to you. However, this is the truth. After all, do all the states that sit together and talk to each other consider each other legitimate and democratic? Now is this the basis for international relations?

We must talk with the Syrians and cooperate with them as far as the file of the displaced is concerned and later on whether we liked it or not as Lebanese and as a Lebanese government as far as the borders set pursuant to Resolution 1701 is concerned. The UNIFIL is not able to do anything neither is the Lebanese Army alone even if all its soldiers were deployed. There are hundreds of kilometers and not only 60 or 70 kilometers. Well, there are some points which you want to convince us of. Well let’s find a way to agree with you. There are points which we want to convince you of. So why don’t you find a way to agree with us?

The issue is not anymore a source of danger to the Shiah in Lebanon, or the Sunnis in Lebanon, or on the so and so party or the such and such movement, or on Christians or on Druze. The danger is facing us all.

So we must sit together and discuss everything including the presidential entitlement. Indeed if ours became a state with a president and an active parliament and a new government and dynamic institutions, Lebanon’s ability to confront this danger would increase.

On my own transparent and clear way, I have to tell you one more thing. Perhaps I took much or your time tonight, but the presidential election is a topic that deserves our attention. Stop moving to and fro to no avail. As far as the presidential election is concerned, you know with whom you must talk. Do not talk with mediators. None of us in March 8 Bloc is a mediator. We are a bloc that supports a definite candidate. Whoever has anything to say knows with whom to talk. So don’t waste time. Wasting time is not to the interest of Lebanon. If anyone has anything logical to say let him carry direct dialogue or else what would you be waiting for? Are you waiting for regional changes? Are you waiting for international changes? Nothing has anything to do with the regional or international issue. The side which takes the primary decision as far as the presidential entitlement is concerned is the Lebanese themselves. Let no one wait for a decision from abroad as far as the presidential entitlement is concerned. Let’s be clear and precise.

It is also required to give the urgent files a kind of priority. This is required on the humanistic and moral level. Such files include the wages series, the crisis of day workers, the Lebanese University, the water crisis, the electric power crisis… Addressing these crises provide a kind of fortification. That does not mean let’s work to confront the existential danger at a time people in villages have no water. Man may stay without electric power but not without water.

Indeed if we cooperate to address these files we would be fortifying our country. We would decrease the chances of tension and the dangers facing the country. This is a group of primary ideas. I do not claim that I set a plot tonight. I am evoking ideas which are debatable. We must altogether sit and see how to discuss these issues. I stress again that talks might be bilateral, threefold, fourfold, or fivefold. However, they must not be a dialogue table to be broadcast on TV outlets and to be watched by the audience and that would be the end of the story. As such we would not be holding serious, responsible, and faithful discussions. As for us, we are a group which is ready to partake in such talks and ready to make sacrifices. We are a group which is ready to offer sacrifices. We offer martyrs daily. We have wounded daily in this battle. We never refrained from offering sacrifices to our people, our country, our sanctities, and our nation.

See the families of the honorable martyrs. The family which has a lonely son would write you saying: “Why are you preventing my son from partaking in the battle. It is a battle of honor. It is a battle of dignity. It is a battle of existence. As for us, we are ready to offer sacrifices. I even have more to tell you. As for waiting for the results of discussions, had the Lebanese waited for reaching a national consensus over the resistance, Israel would have been today in Beirut and in Tripoli. Had the Lebanese, the Syrians, the Egyptians, and the Palestinians waited for an Arab consensus over the issue of the resistance, Israel would have been today controlling the area between the Nile and the Euphrates.

I will wrap up my speech in two clear brief words.

The first word I would like to address all the Lebanese with and all the peoples of the region with is that ISIL and those behind them may be defeated with utmost ease. It is not an incredible mission at all. Well, the battle with Israel is much more difficult than the battle with ISIL. Part of the battle with ISIL is psychological, meaningless collapses, and being penetrated. I really do not wish to go into details.

Is it possible to confront this danger? Is it possible to topple this track? Yes, this track has no future in the region. However, we can’t say this track has no future in the region while we spend our time making pleasure trips. This track would have no future in the region if the Iraqis unite and assume responsibility, the Syrians unite and assume responsibility, and the Lebanese unite and assume responsibility. This issue is similar to the Israeli issue in face of which every Arab country must assume its responsibility. In all of my speech I was telling you that it is easy to defeat this project if we were responsible. However, this project might gain victory if we buried our heads in the sand. This project may invade and control states if the opposing side was frustrated, desperate, frightened, and horrified.

We must not fall into this state. Thus on the anniversary of July War, I call for a responsible national Arab stance on the Lebanese level, on the level of the government, on the level of the army, on the level of constitutional entitlements, on the popular level, and on the media and political level. Well, yes we are fit and able to guard our country and to defend our country so that our country remains proud, strong, noble, and honorable, and so that its components are guarded, and so that its mosques, churches, and sects are preserved. All of that might remain and might not be harmed. This is possible and not incredible no matter who stands behind ISIL.

The second thing I would like to say and be clear in saying is that if anyone abandoned his responsibility we will not abandon our responsibility. We will not migrate to any other place in the world. We will not hold any other nationality. We will not leave this land at all. We will remain here. We will remain here raising our heads high. Here we will live, and if fighting is imposed on us, here we will fight. Here we will be martyred and here we will be buried. This is our choice. As for the other Lebanese who would have this choice, we are ready to overlook all the past and all the conflicts between us.

Today, our country, the components of our people, our state, and our existence is in danger. We must assume this responsibility. As such we may guard our blood and the blood of all those who were martyred in like these days. As such we may guard the sufferings and the aspirations of all those who suffered and nurtured aspirations in like these days. As a Lebanese people, we are all fit to our country. We are all fit to defend our country. We are all fit to gain victory. So let’s make victory. We will not bury our heads in the sand. We will not be defeated. We will not run away. Let no one pack his bag and tell us he wants to migrate. Let’s stay here so that this country persists to be. Let’s change the path of the region as July War changed the path of the region. This small Lebanon will change the path of the region.

Felicitations anew on this day of victory! Inshallah we will be moving towards more victories with the blessings of seriousness, faithfulness, and readiness to offer sacrifices. Peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings.