Between a Non-Aggression Pact and a Just Peace: Lebanon and Palestine Face the Verdict of History

"Peace not founded on justice remains a temporary truce, while peace based on rights is the only one capable of shaping the future."Recent statements by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun regarding the pursuit of a non-aggression pact with Israel, rather than a comprehensive peace, have sparked a wide political debate inside and outside Lebanon. This debate is legitimate, not only because of the sensitivity of the Lebanese-Israeli relationship, but also because its repercussions extend to the Palestinian cause and to the future of stability in the entire region.It is the right of Lebanon, as a state and a people, to seek security and stability, and to strive to protect its borders and sovereignty, and to rebuild its economy and institutions after long years of crises and wars. It is the right of the Lebanese to look forward to a secure future away from the cycles of open confrontation and continuous attrition, especially after the heavy burdens the country has endured, for which the state, society, and economy have paid a heavy price.However, the search for security should not turn into an تجاوز (overlooking) of the political and historical realities that still constitute the core of the conflict in the region. The fundamental problem has never been the absence of security arrangements, but rather the absence of just political solutions based on ending the occupation, respecting the rights of peoples, and enabling them to freely and independently determine their own destiny.The talk of a non-aggression pact between Lebanon and Israel may be understandable from the perspective of Lebanon's need for stability, reconstruction, and the restoration of the state's role and institutions, but it should not become an entry point for bypassing fundamental outstanding issues or a gateway to marginalizing legitimate Arab and Palestinian rights. True peace is not built on power balances alone, but on justice, rights, mutual recognition, and common interests.At the Lebanese level, the responsibility of the state and all political forces requires managing this file with utmost wisdom, transparency, and national consensus, away from internal divisions or external pressures. Lebanon needs to protect its sovereignty, stability, and national unity, just as it needs to preserve its historical position in support of Palestinian and Arab rights, and not slide into approaches that reduce the conflict to its security aspects only and ignore its political, humanitarian, and legal dimensions.As for the Palestinian side, the accelerating regional developments necessitate a comprehensive national review that transcends narrow divisions and factional conflicts. The longer Palestinians delay in rebuilding their national unity and representative institutions on inclusive democratic foundations, the more others will be able to determine the fate of their cause on their behalf.Protecting the Palestinian cause begins first with restoring the unity of Palestinian national decision-making and reinstating the comprehensive national project capable of representing the Palestinian people in the homeland and the diaspora.Any talk of lasting peace or sustainable stability in the Middle East will remain incomplete unless it is accompanied by a just resolution of the Palestinian issue, as it is the core of the conflict and the key to a solution in the region. The Palestinian people are still under occupation, and their legitimate national rights remain unfulfilled, foremost among them their right to self-determination and the establishment of their fully sovereign independent state on their national land with Jerusalem as its capital.Among these rights, the right of return for Palestinian refugees stands out as a political, legal, and humanitarian right, both individual and collective, that does not lapse by prescription and cannot be abrogated or circumvented under any circumstances.The importance of this issue is particularly heightened for Lebanon, as it is one of the most prominent countries that has hosted Palestinian refugees and has borne, along with its people and institutions, significant humanitarian, political, and economic burdens over many decades.Lebanon, which rejects resettlement to preserve its national identity and internal balances, finds itself more concerned than others with upholding the right of return as the natural and just solution to the Palestinian refugee issue. Abandoning this right not only threatens Palestinians alone but also places host countries before challenges and complexities that they did not cause, and constitutes an infringement on the principles of justice, international law, and relevant international legitimacy resolutions.Regionally, it is no longer acceptable for the Palestinian issue to remain hostage to slogans, bidding, or conflicting regional calculations. What is needed is a rational and balanced Arab stance that supports legitimate Palestinian rights and at the same time works to protect the stability of the region and prevent its slide into endless wars.Also needed is the restoration of the Arab political initiative based on the principle of land for peace and rights for stability.As for regionally and internationally, true stability will not be achieved through temporary security arrangements or limited tactical understandings. The region needs a comprehensive political solution that addresses the roots of the conflict, not just its symptoms. Any attempt to bypass the Palestinian issue, marginalize it, or impose unilateral solutions will only lead to the production of new crises and more complex conflicts.Successive experiences have proven that security based on military superiority alone does not create lasting peace, and that ignoring the national rights of peoples only leads to postponing the explosion and reproducing the causes of conflict in new forms. Therefore, the responsibility of the international community is not limited to containing crises and preventing wars, but extends to addressing their true causes and working seriously to apply the rules of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.The region stands today at a pivotal historical moment; either a transition to a new phase characterized by just settlements and regional partnerships based on mutual respect and equal rights, or remaining captive to the cycle of conflicts, wars, and instability.Between a non-aggression pact and a just peace, the most important truth remains that peace is not merely a document to be signed, nor security arrangements to be concluded, but rather an integrated system of justice, rights, mutual recognition, and balanced interests.Unless these conditions are met, agreements will remain fragile, stability will remain temporary, and the region will continue to search for a peace that is not yet complete. There is no lasting security without justice, no true peace without an end to occupation, and no sustainable stability without fairness for the Palestinian people and their empowerment with their full and undiminished national rights, foremost among them the right of return and the right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state.This is the message that everyone should hear in Beirut, Ramallah, Gaza, and Jerusalem, as well as in Arab, regional, and international capitals: that the peace that endures is peace based on truth, while peace that bypasses rights or tries to jump over them will be nothing but a temporary truce in a conflict whose causes have not yet ended.