Bassil accuses government of sidelining Christians

Jebran Bassil, the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, expressed concern on Tuesday over reports that the caretaker government plans to appoint 234 customs agents without including any Christians. He labeled this as a deliberate act of marginalizing Christians from government roles.

In a statement made on the X platform, Bassil held Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh al-Shami and several ministers accountable if they participated in making the appointment session possible. He extended this responsibility to the political groups these ministers are affiliated with, notably mentioning the Amal Movement and Hezbollah, as well as all members of parliament who have not supported a motion to hold the government accountable.

Bassil criticized this move, along with other decisions and the obstruction of electing a president aligned with the National Pact, as signals to the Christian community that their presence in the state is conditional. He questioned the implications of these actions on Christian participation in the state.

In response, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati later stated that the cabinet would further review the contentious appointments. Mikati emphasized his refusal to let the Higher Customs Council dispute spill over into the Council of Ministers and condemned the use of the situation for political gain through populist rhetoric.

Mikati stressed his commitment to addressing the issue while upholding the principles of national unity and avoiding sectarian disputes within the cabinet. He called for an objective and non-sectarian approach to resolving the matter, reiterating the cabinet’s previous decision and advocating for meticulous consideration of the issue.