MP Adib Abdel Massih joins Kataeb Party, pledges commitment to sovereignty agenda

MP Adib Abdel Massih announced on Thursday his decision to join the parliamentary bloc of the Kataeb Party, citing shared positions on sovereignty, state authority, and anti-corruption reforms.

Speaking alongside Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel, Abdel Massih said the move reflected “unity around the principles of freedom, sovereignty and national positions, including restoring the state, rejecting parallel armed structures and fighting corruption.”

He also referred to the killing of his father 48 years ago in the Koura district, saying he had been targeted because of his sovereigntist and patriotic positions.

“They assassinated my father because he defended the nation and his family. His dream continues today through his children,” Abdel Massih said, adding that he found in the Kataeb Party “a transparent and clear sovereigntist position that has never abandoned its principles despite the cost.”

The MP stated that he would align with the decisions of the Kataeb parliamentary bloc on national issues, emphasizing that its positions would not diverge from his own convictions.

For his part, Gemayel said the current political moment required unity in the face of major upcoming challenges, warning that “a new Lebanon may be redrawn.”

“This unity will strengthen us both within the bloc and in parliament,” he said.

Gemayel also invoked the memory of the May 7, 2008, events in Lebanon, saying the date disproved claims that weapons held by non-state actors were directed only outward.

“We are today at the end of the May 7, 2008 era,” he said.

He also expressed full support for Joseph Aoun and the negotiations he is leading, as well as for Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and what he described as the government’s “bold decisions.”