Hezbollah issued a statement on the centenary of the issuance of the Lebanese Constitution, in which it affirmed that the Lebanese people stand before an important milestone at a very sensitive internal and regional moment, which requires more than ever commitment to the Lebanese Constitution.
The party called for adherence to the constitution, as amended after the Taif Agreement, as a binding reference for regulating the dispute between the Lebanese, managing the affairs of their state, preserving their unity and sovereignty, and leaving the era of the mandate, high commissioners, and foreign guardianships that have ended and will not return.
The statement explained that “Lebanon is a final homeland for all its people, one in land, people and institutions, within its constitutionally and internationally recognized borders.” He pointed out that this finality means the establishment of a true national partnership, fair and balanced, that preserves dignity, preserves rights, and recognizes the existential concerns of the Lebanese groups as a supreme constitutional issue related to the nature of the state and guarantees of a single life.
Hezbollah stressed that Lebanon cannot be a final homeland for all its people by slogans, but rather by protecting the land and the people, and with a clear national consensus to reject the occupation and aggression, and to fully adhere to the right of the Lebanese to defend their country and sovereignty against the occupation and Zionist ambitions. Accordingly, the statement affirmed that all partition or division projects, federalization, settlement, sectarian cantons, security zones, or disguised secession projects, whatever their titles and approaches, contradict the essence of the Lebanese constitution.
Abolition of political sectarianism and Taif reforms
In its statement, the party considered that the Lebanese experience demonstrated the inability of the sectarian system to produce a just, effective, and stable state. He believed that fulfillment of the Constitution would be through implementing the constitutional reforms approved by the Taif Agreement in full, without derogation, subtraction, or political exploitation, foremost of which is “abolishing political sectarianism” as a basic entry point for developing the political and social contract, and ensuring fair participation of all Lebanese in the administration of their country and its institutions.
The statement added that this call does not aim to abolish privacy or bypass guarantees, but rather it is a call to build a state of just citizenship that prevents the state from monopolizing or turning it into an instrument of dominance for one party over another.
The legitimacy of resistance is closely related to the constitution and Taif
On the defensive side, Hezbollah stressed that resisting the occupation and aggression is neither a departure from the state nor a violation of the constitution, but rather a legitimate national right protected by the principles of the Lebanese constitution and Lebanon’s Arab and international obligations, stressing that no political or governmental decision can rob the people of their natural right to defend their land, nor delegitimize resistance to the occupation.
The statement stated that the constitution, which links Lebanon to the covenants of the League of Arab States, cannot be read in isolation from the Arab texts that recognize the right of peoples to resist foreign occupation and liberate their land.
The party also pointed out that the Taif Document affirmed the necessity of taking the necessary measures to liberate the land and confirmed adherence to the 1949 Armistice Agreement, which describes the relationship with the Zionist entity as one of hostility, occupation, and constant threat, not a relationship of normalization, surrender, or acceptance of the fait accompli.
The statement considered that the insistence of some on removing elements of force from Lebanon in light of the continued aggression, occupation and threat is a departure from the Taif Document and the amended constitution according to its provisions.
An opportunity to restore the state
Hezbollah concluded its statement by emphasizing that what is required in the centenary of the constitution is to implement Taif and the constitutional texts without derogation or discretion, protect Lebanon from aggression, prevent foreign tutelage, and reject partition, federalization, and settlement projects. He called for making this occasion an opportunity to restore the state from incapacity, sovereignty from dependence, and partnership from quotas, stressing that the Lebanese constitution is not a static document in memory, but rather an open national covenant that must lead to reforming the state and protecting sovereignty.
