Sectarian Council: Adhere to Ceasefire and Support Southern Resilience

The Board of Directors of the Sectarian Council of the Unitarian Druze community held its regular meeting at the Community House in Verdun, chaired by Sheikh Aql and President of the Council, Sheikh Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna. The board discussed national issues and council affairs and issued the following statement:

First: The Council affirms that the ongoing aggression against the South and systematic attempts at demographic change constitute an attack on all of Lebanon across its regions. It calls for the state to stand with full capabilities alongside our steadfast people in the South to support their attachment to their land and villages, and to secure all elements and necessities that ensure this resilience and establish it. The Council hopes for the renewal of the mandate of UNIFIL forces operating in the South due to the required international presence they represent and their role in protecting civilians and documenting Israeli attacks.

Second: The Council stresses that the absolute national priority at this critical stage is to permanently consolidate the ceasefire, enforce complete Israeli withdrawal, and fortify the presence of state institutions in the South. It believes that the current situation does not tolerate stirring controversial internal files, which may lead to inciting disputes and deepening divisions, at a time when we are most in need of national solidarity.

Third: The Council calls on the government to give sufficient attention to livelihood concerns as a national priority. It considers the demands of employees, military personnel, retirees, and teachers to be justified and legitimate, requiring urgent correction of salaries and wages linked to the cost-of-living index. It emphasizes the necessity of restoring depositors' rights fully and without reduction, taking urgent and effective measures to support basic goods, especially fuel, to alleviate burdens on citizens as winter approaches, strictly combating monopoly, and activating food safety and quality control agencies to protect citizens' health and dignity.

Fourth: The Council renews the Unitarian Druze commitment to the constants of their unitarian path and its social and national pillars, amidst regional tensions and attacks on national sovereignty in Lebanon, Syria, and other brotherly countries. It strongly condemns attempts aimed at undermining their established national, Arab, and Islamic structure, striking the foundations of their existence, and feeding destructive projects unrelated to their truth, history, and identity."