From: The times of Israel December 17, 2024
Lebanese Druze politician says country should ‘permanently abandon’ war on Israel

Hezbollah ally Wiam Wahhab, who heads the minor Arab Unification Party, says ‘the nation does not want war’ and the only victor in the region is Netanyahu

Wiam Wahhab, a Druze Lebanese politician and former minister, said in an interview on Sunday that Lebanon should end its long-running fight against the State of Israel and pursue normalization.

Wahhab, the founder and head of the minor Tawhid Party, or Arab Unification Party, is considered an ally of the Hezbollah terrorist group, which holds considerable power in Lebanon, and of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

In an interview with the local al-Jadeed TV station, Wahhab said, “We must permanently abandon this mentality of war with Israel,” according to translation from the L’Orient Today Lebanese news outlet.

Wahhab, who served as environment minister in Lebanon from 2004 to 2005, said he would be willing to strike a “deal with the devil,” meaning Israel, in order to ensure the safety of his Druze community.

The Druze population in Lebanon is thought to make up about three percent of the population. Wahhab’s party does not currently hold any seats in parliament.

“The Lebanese have sacrificed more than 75 years of their lives for the Palestinian cause.

This must come to an end,” he said during the interview, adding that “the nation does not want war and no longer wishes to fight the Israeli state.”