Syriac Maronite Patriarchate eyes September call for ‘positive neutrality’ as Lebanon moves on Hezbollah weapons

BEIRUT / BETH KERKE — Syriac Maronite Patriarchate is signaling renewed momentum behind its decades-long push to secure state sovereignty and neutrality, after a historic government decision this week placed the disarmament of Hezbollah on the political agenda for the first time since the 1989 Taif Agreement. 

As detailed in an article by Alan Sarkis in Nidaa al-Watan, Thursday’s cabinet session broke with decades of ministerial statements that either sidestepped the militia’s arsenal or enshrined its role under the banner of “resistance.” Last Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting was followed by another session on Thursday during which the government voted and formally adopted the U.S.-backed plan with broad international support.  

The move has been met with strong approval from Beth Kerke (Bkerki), the seat of the Syriac Maronite Patriarchate, which has long insisted that only the state should control armed force. “We have waited 35 years for this decision,” a senior church figure told Nidaa al-Watan. “Now that it has been made, it must be followed by firm implementation mechanisms, so it does not remain just ink on paper. We have full confidence in the army and its leadership.” 

Sarkis explains that since the days of the late Syriac Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, Bkerki has played a pivotal role in pressing for the restoration of full state authority. In September 2000, months after Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon, it issued a landmark appeal for Syria’s military withdrawal — a goal achieved in 2005. From that point onward, the Patriarchate focused on the removal of all non-state weapons from Lebanese territory. 

For the Patriarchate, Hezbollah’s arsenal has caused more harm than protection, including destruction and mass displacement within the Shiite community. Its position is clear: only a unified national army and legitimate institutions can guarantee the safety of all Lebanese citizens. 

In July 2020, Syriac Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi proposed “active neutrality” alongside a call for an international conference to rescue Lebanon. As Sarkis noted in Nidaa al-Watan, the concept aims to insulate the country from regional conflicts while enabling it to serve as a bridge between East and West. 

The Patriarchate’s case for neutrality has only intensified after Hezbollah’s engagement in the so-called “support war,” which, in its view, deepened Lebanon’s isolation and economic crisis. Nine months after a ceasefire, Bkerki argues that neutrality — combined with the disarmament of militias — remains the only path toward stability and recovery. 

With Syriac Maronite President Joseph Aoun and the current government broadly aligned with the neutrality vision, the Patriarchate is expected to revive its appeal as early as September. The roadmap it envisions begins with reasserting state authority over all Lebanese territory, collecting weapons from Palestinian factions, and ensuring the complete surrender of Hezbollah’s arsenal. 

According to Sarkis’s article, Syriac Maronite church leaders believe these steps would restore trust at home and abroad, unlock anti-corruption reforms, and attract both international support and from Arab countries. Still, they stress that neutrality will require not just internal consensus but also a robust international framework. 

As Sarkis quoted one church official: “The world is ready to help Lebanon, but only if the Lebanese help themselves. That means choosing the state, reclaiming sovereignty, and ending the cycle of other people’s wars fought on our soil.”