Rajji goes softer on Hezbollah in major change of tone

Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji has called for everyone to return to the State and to not give Israel excuses to keep up its attacks and occupation.

"We demand that everyone return to the state, the state of law," Rajji said Tuesday in a seminar, adding that "this is not the time for fiery statements or ideological slogans but a time to work on ensuring the enemy is given no excuse for stalling."

Rajji lauded President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and said he is proud of belonging to a united government in which everyone is in agreement on the need to find solutions for the sensitive issues at hand -- the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the five occupied points, the reconstruction of war-hit villages, the return of the displaced residents, the release of the Lebanese prisoners, and an end to the "violations of sovereignty" and Israel's continuous attacks on Lebanese citizens, towns, and villages in south and east Lebanon.

Rajji had said earlier this month that Israel has the right to attack Lebanon as long as Hezbollah is still armed. His remarks drew condemnations from Hezbollah officials and other politicians.

Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar urged Aoun and Salam to "put an end to this type of rhetoric, which fuels internal divisions and serves only the enemy and its interests."

Ad-Diyar newspaper claimed in a report Tuesday that Aoun asked Rajji to avoid creating tensions and to take action to tackle the continuous Israeli attacks. The foreign ministry later filed a U.N. complaint over Israel’s violations.

Despite Rajji's change of tone, the remarks Tuesday still criticized Hezbollah but more softly, as he accused the group of dragging Lebanon into a support war without the consent of the state and of the Lebanese. He said that this resulted in a defeat that now forces the Lebanese state to accept harsh ceasefire conditions.

"The solution can only be diplomatic, and diplomacy faces difficulties amid shifts in the Middle East and the region. We are working day and night and coordinating with major influential powers, led by the United States. The solution requires implementing economic and financial reforms and extending the state's sovereignty over all Lebanese territory."