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BEIRUT: Former Lebanese prime ministers Najib Mikati, Fouad Siniora, and Tammam Salam announced during their meeting on Saturday with former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt at his home in Beirut their support for the steps and positions taken by the Syrian state to “heal the national rift in Syria,” against the backdrop of escalating events in Sweida between the Druze and the Bedouins.

The Sunni former prime ministers emphasized “the need to prioritize dialogue, openness, and tolerance among our Syrian brothers in order to nip sedition in the bud, and to do everything possible to strengthen internal national unity among all Syrian citizens on the basis of citizenship and justice for all.”

The attendees praised Jumblatt’s stance on the ongoing events. They denounced “Israel’s interference and aggression against Syria, stressing that this interference in Syria’s internal affairs is unacceptable and condemned. It aims to fragment and divide the Syrian people, and to incite and turn certain forces and parties against each other, under the pretext of protecting our true Arab Druze brothers from the Bani Ma’rouf in Jabal Al-Arab, who believe that what Israel is doing is the implementation of a malicious, exposed, and unacceptable plan to perpetuate its occupation of the Syrian Golan.”

The statement issued by the attendees called for “the need to initiate an immediate ceasefire and affirm full commitment by all parties to it, to free the kidnapped, lift the siege, and restore public services. They also called for efforts to establish communication, understanding, and tolerance among all Syrian citizens to prevent strife and stop the bloodshed. This should then lead to constructive dialogue among them, based on the unity of the Syrian identity, the principles of citizenship, the unity of the Syrian homeland, the sovereignty of a single, capable, and just state, and the integrity of all Syrian territory.”

The attendees stressed “the necessity of an impartial investigation committee to hold accountable those who instigated the sedition and those who carried out and perpetrated the killings and attacks against peaceful civilians, regardless of their affiliation.”

They also denounced “attempts to exploit the dangerous events in Syria to spread tension and sedition to Lebanon,” affirming that the Lebanese Army and state security agencies will stand guard against these malicious and despicable attempts.

Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Heikal visited the Sheikh of the Druze community, Sheikh Sami Abi Al-Muna, on Saturday evening, accompanied by Chief of Staff Major General Hassan Odeh. Discussions focused on “ways to contain the repercussions of the events in Syria on the Lebanese scene and preserve internal security stability,” according to a statement issued by the attendees.

Abi Al-Muna called on everyone in Sweida “to unite under the umbrella of the state.” He said: “However, this places the responsibility on the Syrian state to reassure its people and instill confidence among the people, so that citizens will surrender their weapons and commands to it. This is a difficult task, but not impossible, and Arab and Turkish sponsorship is essential.”

Arab tribes in Lebanon have also taken action to prevent any repercussions from the events in Sweida. A delegation from the Arab Zreikat tribes visited Sheikh Abi Al-Muna and affirmed their “solidarity with the Druze community and their condemnation of the painful events in Sweida Governorate.”

Sheikh Abi Al-Muna described what is happening in Jabal Al-Arab as “something alien to our customs and traditions, and we are trying to calm our youth so that things do not slide into an absurd confrontation in Lebanon and undermine coexistence.”
Sheikh Kamel Al-Daher, on behalf of the tribal delegation, stressed the need to “quell the strife in the face of those who throw words and money at it, and for the Syrian state, headed by Sharaa, to stop the bloodshed, address the issue, and establish reconciliation, as is our tradition.”

Representatives of the Progressive Socialist Party, the largest party under which most of Lebanon’s Druze are united, met this morning with representatives of the Arab tribes in the Bekaa and agreed that “Lebanon should not be a crossing point for any tensions.”

TAYBEH, Palestinian Territories: The US ambassador to Israel on Saturday visited a Christian village in the occupied West Bank and urged accountability for an attack on an ancient church, which residents have blamed on Israeli settlers.

In early July, the village of Taybeh was hit by an arson attack in the area of the ruins of the Byzantine-era Church of Saint George, which dates back to the fifth century.

Residents blamed settlers for the assault, which comes as violence soars in the West Bank and last week saw an American-Palestinian man killed near Ramallah.

Ambassador Mike Huckabee, an evangelical Christian and staunch advocate for Israel, said his trip to Taybeh aimed to “express solidarity with the people who just want to live their lives in peace, to be able to go to their own land, to be able to go to their place of worship.”

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s a mosque, a church, a synagogue,” he told journalists.

“It’s unacceptable to commit an act of sacrilege by desecrating a place that is supposed to be a place of worship.”

“We will certainly insist that those who carry out acts of terror and violence in Taybeh or anywhere be found, be prosecuted, not just reprimanded. That’s not enough,” he said.

“People need to pay a price for doing something that destroys that which belongs not just to other people, but that which belongs to God.”

In the villages and communities around Taybeh, Palestinian authorities reported that settlers had killed three people and damaged or destroyed multiple water sources in the past two weeks alone.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and violence has surged in the territory since the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023 triggered the Gaza war.

Since then, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 957 Palestinians, including many militants, in the West Bank, according to health ministry figures.

Over the same period, at least 36 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to official figures.

Huckabee, who has for years been an outspoken supporter of Jewish settlement in the Palestinian territories, on Tuesday demanded an aggressive investigation and consequences after settlers beat to death a Palestinian-American in the West Bank.

It was a sign of rare public pressure against US ally Israel by President Donald Trump’s administration.