Bassil criticizes state over negotiations, Hezbollah over goals

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Thursday criticized both the Lebanese state led by President Joseph Aoun and PM Nawaf Salam, and his former ally Hezbollah.

"True peace is not merely the absence of tension, but the achievement of justice. This is a phrase coined by Martin Luther King Jr. and ignored by many, especially those who believe in imposing peace by force," Bassil said.

"How can an authority understand the meaning of justice and dignity and establish peace when it submits instead of negotiating? And how can a resistance movement triumph if its goal is not to build a state in peace?" Bassil added, referring to the Lebanese state and Hezbollah and the outcome of Wednesday's negotiations with Israel in Washington.