Gebran Bassil

Bassil Warns Against Syrians Replacing Lebanese

The leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), MP Gebran Bassil, lashed out at the European Union for offering Lebanon one billion euros in exchange for keeping displaced Syrians, describing the move as an “attempt to replace the Lebanese with Syrians.” At a press conference on Saturday, Bassil stressed that the financial aid offered by the ...

Presidential Talks: Quintet Ambassadors Conclude First Round

The ambassadors of the quintet committee (United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar) continued on Thursday their meetings with various Lebanese parties and officials, which they had started on Tuesday, aiming to unblock the presidential election. Egyptian Ambassador Alaa Moussa announced that the quintet "concluded on Thursday the ...

A New Member of the “Anti-Bassil Club”

After being elected vice president of the Free Patriotic Movement, sources close to the Aounist party indicate that May Khreish left the ranks of the FPM and submitted her resignation to join the group of supporters of former President Michel Aoun who had left the orange formation, as they no longer recognized themselves in him after he abandoned ...

The FPM Will Vote – or Not – to Postpone Municipal Elections

On Tuesday, the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, denied rumors of a deal with the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri. According to some reports, Berri's Amal movement had asked engineers among its supporters to vote for the FPM candidate for president of the Order of Engineers, Fadi Hanna, in exchange for a vote by Bassil's ...

Gemayel: Berri Is Torn Between Opposing Alliances

Leader of the Kataeb party Sami Gemayel asserted that Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, whom he accuses of obstructing the presidential election, is attempting to balance his alliance with Hezbollah and his relations with the United States. "Berri cannot go against the Americans, as he has interests in the United States where members of his ...

Lebanese Forces: Christian Unity Requires Common Vision of Sovereignty

While supporting Christian unity, the Lebanese Forces clearly stated on Monday that they will not engage with the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) unless it stops supporting Hezbollah. Responding to FPM chairman Gebran Bassil’s call on Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai to unify Christian ranks, the party said in a statement, "We see no reason for ...

Gebran Bassil: Everything and Its Opposite in a Single Day

Leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) Gebran Bassil attended two events organized by his party on Sunday. The first, "Gen to Gen," was attended by young people and FPM executives. During the ceremony, the FPM leader declared that he has no regrets about the Mar Mikhael agreement (signed between the FPM and Hezbollah in 2006), affirming ...

Hezbollah Avoiding Any Argument With Bassil

Hezbollah’s leadership instructed the party’s officials, cadres and its electronic army, not to react to declarations made by the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and avoid entering into debates or arguments with the movement’s leader and “former ally” Gebran Bassil. Hezbollah’s argument is that it is too preoccupied with the battle ...

Bassil Criticizes Former Ally Hezbollah Over Its "Support Front"

In an interview with LBCI on Thursday evening, Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Gebran Bassil criticized Hezbollah's military involvement in South Lebanon, in support of Hamas in its war with Israel, stressing that “it is not Lebanon's job to liberate Palestine.”  At the same time, he underlined the "sanctity of Hezbollah's mission ...

Has the FPM-Hezbollah Relationship Entered a New Phase?

In a move that brought the simmering divisions between the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and its former ally Hezbollah into the open,  former President and FPM founder Michel Aoun and the party’s current leader, MP Gebran Bassil, denounced Hezbollah’s military activities against Israel in South Lebanon. "We are not bound to Gaza by a defense ...

Bassil Intends to Submit an Appeal Against Mikati for Violating the Constitution

The leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and MP, Gebran Bassil, is determined to go all the way in his confrontation with Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the government, accusing them of violating the Constitution and taking over the role of the president of the Republic. Bassil announced on Tuesday that he will submit "a ...

An Aounist for President?

Qatari envoy to Lebanon Jassim bin Fahd al-Thani (Abu Fahd) did not succeed in convincing the head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Gebran Bassil, to elect either Marada Party leader Sleiman Franjieh or Army Commander-in-chief General Joseph Aoun to the presidency.  The envoy spent days in Lebanon during which he met with Franjieh, Bassil ...