FPM Delegation in Bkirki to ‘Contain’ Rai’s Call to Internationalize Lebanon’s Crisis

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai received a delegation from the FPM on Monday (Markaziah News Agency).
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai received a delegation from the FPM on Monday (Markaziah News Agency).
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FPM Delegation in Bkirki to ‘Contain’ Rai’s Call to Internationalize Lebanon’s Crisis

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai received a delegation from the FPM on Monday (Markaziah News Agency).
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai received a delegation from the FPM on Monday (Markaziah News Agency).

A delegation from the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) visited Bkirki on Monday, a day after Maronite Patriarch Beshara Al-Rai proposed “the internationalization of the Lebanese crisis.”

A parliamentary source in the FPM told Asharq Al-Awsat that the “unplanned” visit aimed at discussing the patriarch’s view on the formation of the new government and his recent proposal on holding an international conference for Lebanon under the auspices of the United Nations.

The source said the patriarch was informed of the FPM’s position on the government, revealing that should rapprochement be achieved between both sides then another meeting with al-Rai may be held, this time with the attendance of movement leader Gebran Bassil.

During Sunday mass, Rai demanded that Lebanon’s issue be raised at a special international conference, in the first call of its kind after the severe deterioration of the living and economic crises and the continuous failure to form a government.

“As a founding and committed member of the Arab League and the United Nations Organization, Lebanon – with its collapsing situation - necessitates that its case be brought up in an international conference sponsored by the UN, in a manner that would consolidate its modern constitutional frameworks based on the unity of the entity, system of neutrality and the provision of permanent guarantees that prevent any attempt to undermine its legitimacy,” Rai said.

Following the meeting, former minister Mansour Bteish said that talks focused on the need to form a salvation government of high credibility, in accordance with the terms of the French initiative.

He stressed that President Michel Aoun wanted the new government to be formed “as soon as possible”, stressing that Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri “must go to Baabda and consult with Aoun.”

In this context, the parliamentary source affirmed that the FPM “does not see the urgency to internationalize the crisis, as matters can be resolved and the government can be formed if the premier-designate showed more flexibility.”

“Hariri follows certain standards with all parties, and when the matter comes to the Christian ministers, he adopts other criteria,” the source emphasized.

On the other hand, a deputy from Hariri’s Mustaqbal bloc said the PM-designate has acted in accordance with the constitution, by providing the president with a ministerial lineup that included four ministers chosen from the list prepared by Aoun himself, with the possibility of amendment.

Hariri “is waiting for Aoun’s response. If he has any inquiries or matters to discuss in this regard, let him inform the premier-designate, and then the meeting will take place,” the source said.



Tunisia Activists Launch Gaza-bound Convoy in 'Symbolic Act'

 Tunisians gather at a meeting point in Tunis on June 9, 2025, ahead of the departure of a land convoy named “Steadfastness” to break the siege on Gaza. (AFP)
Tunisians gather at a meeting point in Tunis on June 9, 2025, ahead of the departure of a land convoy named “Steadfastness” to break the siege on Gaza. (AFP)
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Tunisia Activists Launch Gaza-bound Convoy in 'Symbolic Act'

 Tunisians gather at a meeting point in Tunis on June 9, 2025, ahead of the departure of a land convoy named “Steadfastness” to break the siege on Gaza. (AFP)
Tunisians gather at a meeting point in Tunis on June 9, 2025, ahead of the departure of a land convoy named “Steadfastness” to break the siege on Gaza. (AFP)

Hundreds of people, mainly Tunisians, launched on Monday a land convoy bound for Gaza, seeking to "break the siege" on the Palestinian territory, activists said.

Organizers said the nine-bus convoy was not bringing aid into Gaza, but rather aimed at carrying out a "symbolic act" by breaking the blockade on the territory described by the United Nations as "the hungriest place on Earth".

The "Soumoud" convoy, meaning "steadfastness" in Arabic, includes doctors and aims to arrive in Rafah, in southern Gaza, "by the end of the week", activist Jawaher Channa told AFP.

It is set to pass through Libya and Egypt, although Cairo has yet to provide passage permits, she added.

"We are about a thousand people, and we will have more join us along the way," said Channa, spokeswoman of the Tunisian Coordination of Joint Action for Palestine, the group organizing the caravan.

"Egypt has not yet given us permission to cross its borders, but we will see what happens when we get there," she said.

Channa said the convoy was not set to face issues crossing Libya, "whose people have historically supported the Palestinian cause", despite recent deadly clashes in the country that remains divided between two governments.

Algerian, Mauritanian, Moroccan and Libyan activists were also among the group, which is set to travel along the Tunisian and Libyan coasts, before continuing on to Rafah through Egypt.

After 21 months of war, Israel is facing mounting international pressure to allow more aid into Gaza to alleviate widespread shortages of food and basic supplies.

On June 1, the Madleen aid boat, boarded by activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and European parliament member Franco-Palestinian Rima Hassan, set sail for Gaza from Italy.

But on Monday morning Israel intercepted it, preventing it from reaching the Palestinian territory.

The UN has warned that the Palestinian territory's entire population is at risk of famine.