Samir Geagea urges government to begin disarming Palestinian factions

Lebanese Forces Party leader Samir Geagea on Wednesday accused 'the axis of resistance' of actively obstructing a government plan to collect unauthorized Palestinian weapons, warning that any further delays would severely undermine the state's credibility and Lebanon's chances for recovery.

"Day by day, it becomes increasingly clear that the so-called Axis of Resistance is pressuring Lebanese authorities to stall and dilute efforts to begin the process of collecting Palestinian arms, which was scheduled to start in mid-June," Geagea said in a statement. 

"At the same time, they are inciting minor Palestinian factions to reject the handover of weapons under various pretexts publicly."

He urged the government to proceed "seriously, transparently, and decisively" with the disarmament of Palestinian groups, beginning in the Beirut camps this month. He called for the plan to be extended to camps in northern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, followed by the south. Geagea also demanded a parallel timeline for the collection of all illegal Lebanese weapons in the coming months.

"Any delay or reluctance in this matter will portray the government as unserious, damage the momentum of the new presidential term, and risk dragging Lebanon back into the instability of the last two decades," he warned.

Geagea emphasized that the failure to establish a functioning state would leave Lebanon isolated, particularly from its Arab allies, and would hinder its ability to secure the international aid necessary for reconstruction and economic revival.

"It is unacceptable for anyone to hold the fate of the Lebanese people hostage to personal whims and ideologies that have repeatedly and catastrophically failed," he said. 

Geagea also noted that "The president and the government must act swiftly to establish Lebanon as a sovereign state that exclusively holds the right to bear arms and make decisions of war and peace—just like any normal, functioning country."