Gemayel describes Hezbollah as 'armed militia' in second heated budget session
Kataeb leader Sami Gemayel described Wednesday Hezbollah as an armed militia, as parliament discussed the 2026 budget for a second day in a row.
Gemayel said no one will invest in Lebanon as long as there are war and armed militias, which angered a Hezbollah MP.
Hezbollah ally and Speaker Nabih Berri interrupted the Hezbollah lawmaker who tried to talk and told him that Gemayel's remarks were not intended for the "resistance", although Gemayel was clearly talking about Hezbollah.
On Tuesday, the session also turned heated as many MPs talked about Hezbollah's disarmament, with a Change MP mentioning Iran's protests and Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem, which angered Hezbollah MPs and resulted in a long debate.
Change MP Cynthia Zarazir criticized Wednesday both the FPM and the LF, using their slogans, "They didn't let us" and "We can and we will" to say that both parties eventually did nothing for Lebanon.
Another Change MP Halima Qaaqour went more into finance details and was the lawmaker who talked the most about the budget, calling for accountability, for a fair distribution of taxes, and for ending corruption.
The two Change MPs said they won't approve the 2026 budget.
Despite the tension in parliament, there were also some funny moments. For instance, an MP interrupted the heated debates to ask that the heater be turned off because it was getting too hot, and Zarazir criticized the appointment of Gracia Azzi as the Director General of Customs, quipping that Nouh Zaiter might as well be Speaker.
Azzi was summoned for questioning by Judge Tarek Bitar in relation to the 2020 Beirut Port explosion. Zaiter is a "drug baron" and leader of an armed militia in the Beqaa Valley. He was arrested in November.
Source: Naharnet
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