Lebanon’s foreign minister is facing criticism for saying his country is not opposed to security for Israel.
Gebran Bassil said in a television interview, “we are not against Israel living in security,” Reuters reported. The clip, which aired on Tuesday, has been shared widely by Lebanese social media users. Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil delivers a press conference in Paris, November 14, 2017. (AFP/Lionel BONAVENTURE)
One former government minister is urging Bassil to step down, and a lawmaker in parliament criticized him, according to Reuters. Bassil’s office said his words had been twisted by the television channel’s editing process.
Israel and Lebanon are enemy states, and Lebanese citizens are forbidden by law from visiting the Jewish state. Israel has fought wars against Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based terror group and political party that has members sitting in Lebanon’s parliament and cabinet.
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