PM address to the Lebanese People about the Israeli agreession during the July 2006 war on Lebanon

My Fellow Lebanese,

As we were preparing for a new beginning in our efforts towards reemergence and reform, we find ourselves once again facing Israeli aggression manifested in a continuous barrage of air, sea and land bombing which has spared no one. This attack has dismembered Lebanon, destroyed its infrastructure, violated its sovereignty and trampled the rights and dignity of its people. This killing machine continues its devastation, murder and displacement of the civilian population with no deterrence or restraint.

These past four days have witnessed a systematic destruction of infrastructure with the single goal of inflicting as much pain as possible on the Lebanese people. In the South, the North, Beirut and the Beka’a the aggressor continues to rain down its bombs on our cities and villages.

Dear Lebanese,

The wrenching pain and sorrow that we experience is mixed with anger and determination. In facing suffering with patience, mobilizing our efforts and initiatives, we strive together for the salvation of our country.

During these dark times my thoughts are with each and every one of you: Children huddling in fear in the shelters, those who lost a mother, father, and/or sibling. I think about the mothers, the elderly, and those lying wounded in their hospital beds. I direct my thoughts to those that have been cut off from their families and driven from their homes while still being chased and targeted by Israeli warplanes. I shudder at the thought, of those children, women and whole families that were massacred in the villages of Marwaheen (مروحين), Al-Duweir (الدوير), Al-Bayadah (البياضة), and others that were killed in cold blood by the Israeli killing machine as they tried to flee in vain from its wrath.

Every village in Southern Lebanon, each house in the Beka’a, the North, Beirut and its suburbs faces similar if not the same tragedies and challenges. This is a time for unity, not division; this is a time of solidarity. Let us ensure that our hearts and minds are open so we may welcome one another in our homes or schools. We need to help and support those that were forced out of their homes or jobs. We are called upon to heal wounds and sustain hope and faith in our future. This is the future of our nation for which we have paid so dearly in blood, sweat and tears, a heavy price that no other nation has paid. I am confident that we will prevail as we face so many challenges while rebuilding what the enemy has destroyed. We have done so in the past. Our enemy knows death and destruction whereas we have learned how to be resilient, defend our nation and reconstruct.

Lebanonhas continued to bleed since 1948, the year of the forced exodus of our Palestinian brethren from their land. Still the suffering and bleeding continues because of the repeated Israeli attacks on our country. Today’s current events should lead us towards further unity and togetherness. This will help us to preserve the integrity, sovereignty and dignity of our country.

My Fellow Lebanese,

Today I stand in the center of Beirut, which was rebuilt by you and by our beloved martyred Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, whom we fondly remember and long for his accomplishments and dreams - which the Israeli killing machine is trying to destroy.

What we are currently facing goes beyond the issue of prisoners and abducted soldiers. We are a nation whose security and land are being trampled under a questionable pretext. Today, our nation is facing an aggression rarely experienced by a country or people. Our country's main arteries have been severed, its institutions have been destroyed, and its civilians have been displaced and massacred.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We will continue, with all resources that are available to us, to ensure that adequate emergency services are provided to those in need, to re-establish communication lines, to re-construct all that has been destroyed or damaged, and to organize the distribution of food and medicines. We will request help and assistance from friends around the world, and will remain in close contact with Arab and international parties. The Council of Ministers will be in a continuous session to monitor the situation and assume political leadership. We firmly believe in-, and are confident in, our just cause and our right. This is reflected in the solidarity amongst the Lebanese people and their government.

A major lesson to draw from this crisis that we have repeatedly experienced during our recent history is that the best response to this aggression and every other aggression is for us together as government and citizens to walk down the same path, that will help ensure our resilience and stability. It is the path of a united and capable state, of a single authority able to protect all its citizens, their rights, and security.

The Lebanese government announced from the first instance when the events broke, that it had no prior knowledge of what happened. Nor did it endorse the operation carried out by Hezbollah, which led to the abduction of the two Israeli soldiers. That did not stop the aggression from escalating. Under no circumstances does Israel have the right to destroy Lebanon, displace its people, and demolish the country’s infrastructure. This experience forces us, more than ever before, to insist on the right of the Lebanese government and its obligation to defend Lebanon and protect its citizens against aggression or threat. Lebanon cannot reemerge if its government is the last to know and the first to be held accountable. The government is the sole legitimate authority that decides on peace and war, as it represents the will and aspiration of the Lebanese people who have chosen to live together. United we will face this aggression and we will stay together behind our government and its constitutional institutions.

My Fellow Lebanese,

We will not waiver or back down in face of this major aggression that our country and people are facing. As we take all the necessary measures to ensure that coordinated relief efforts are in place and political crisis management is effective, I would like here to reiterate the recent declaration of the Council of Ministers:

“The Lebanese government emphasizes the fact that it is solely responsible for the protection of the nation and its citizens, for guarding the nation’s safety and security, for extending its authority over the whole country, for exercising its sovereignty and for national decision-making, internally and externally”.

Based on the above, we call for the following:

First:An immediate and comprehensive ceasefire under the auspices of the United Nations, which will enable the UN, the Arab countries and other international parties, in cooperation with the Lebanese government to responsibly resolve all issues arising from the events of the past few days as well as their underlying causes.

Second:Achieving the extension of the authority of the government over all its territories in cooperation with the UN in South Lebanon, striving to regain all Lebanese territory, exercising its full sovereignty over it, and implementing the 1949 armistice, which was reaffirmed by the Lebanese in the Taif National Accord.

Third:Lebanon appeals to all its friends around the world to come to its assistance, exert pressure to stop the aggression and provide humanitarian aid. The Lebanese government holds the Israeli aggressors fully responsible for the humanitarian, social and economic catastrophe that Lebanon faces. Up until today we have worked and have been working on rehabilitating the country from the effects of the devastation caused by the previous Israeli invasions of 1982, 1993 and 1996. Today the Israeli devastation is upon us once again. From here I declare Lebanon a disaster zone which will require a plan of action that includes relief, humanitarian assistance, reconstruction and the rehabilitation of all that was destroyed by the aggression.

We are rooted in our land. We hold strongly to our rights and our nation. We will overcome this catastrophe. Lebanon Lives, Lebanon Lives and will continue to Live.

Saturday- July 15, 2006

Prime Minister

Fuad Siniora

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