Lebanese Charge D’affaires at UNSC Defends Right of Resistance

Local Editor

Lebanese Charge D'affaires at the United Nations Caroline Ziade defended the right of resisting the "Israeli" occupation, following accusations by the "Israeli" Ambassador to the UN, Gabriela Shalev, on harboring terrorist organizations.

This came on Tuesday, during an open UN Security Council debate on "how terrorism threatens the world".

"Lebanon does not practice sovereignty on its soil and it should be held accountable for giving Hizbullah freedom of activity. The most dangerous terrorist organizations threatening "Israel's" security are Hamas in the south and Hezbollah in the north," Gabriela Shalev said after joining the debate. Shalev also expressed that
it is "alarming" that several U.N. member states support and harbor such terror organizations.

However, Lebanon's charge d'affaires, Caroline Ziade, snapped back calling Shalev's remark "unfortunate."

Closing the debate, Ziade said she wanted to speak not as the council's rotating president for the month of May, but in her national capacity. Ziade insisted that Hizbullah is not a terrorist organization, but it is a legitimate party represented in the Lebanese parliament.

"We regret that the name of Hizbullah was used in our debate," Ziade said, accusing Shalev of trying to "derail the debate from its course".

""Israel" is a neighbor that continues to aggress (against) its neighbors. This is why we should differentiate between terrorism and the legitimate right to resist against foreign occupation," the Lebanese ambassador to the UN added.