This week, Renew Europe reaffirmed its full solidarity with the Lebanese people and backed the position of the country’s President, who has set out a clear framework for negotiations to end the current conflict: “No compromise, no concession, and no acceptance of what does not serve Lebanese sovereignty.”
While disarming Hezbollah is a legitimate objective, Renew Europe stresses it cannot come at the cost of Lebanon’s sovereignty. The country is caught in a conflict it did not choose, squeezed between Israeli military operations and Hezbollah, which has long acted as Iran’s proxy.
The human cost is devastating. Over 1.2 million people have been displaced, more than 2,000 killed and 7,000 injured. Entire areas have been destroyed, leaving a country already on its knees facing an enormous reconstruction bill.
Renew Europe has strongly condemned Israel’s ongoing violations of the current ceasefire agreement. Lebanese civilian casualties from Israeli airstrikes are being reported every single day. Israel’s legitimate security concerns cannot justify destruction of this scale. The United States brokered the ceasefire and must now ensure its obligations are upheld.
As Christophe Grudler MEP (Mouvement Démocrate, FR), Renew Europe’s shadow rapporteur on Lebanon, put it:
“Lebanon is one of the few democracies in the Middle East. Our role is to help it develop, and in particular to help it disarm Iran-funded militias. Our role is not to watch the country disappear under Israeli bombs.”
Renew Europe expressed grave concern over the killing of a Lebanese journalist in an Israeli airstrike. According to Reporters Without Borders, evidence strongly suggests a deliberate targeting. This attack on press freedom must be firmly condemned.
Barry Andrews MEP (Fianna Fáil, IE), chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Development, was unequivocal:
“Even during this so-called ceasefire, the number of journalists and media workers being killed is shocking. As chair of the Development Committee, which oversees EU humanitarian aid efforts, I will keep what is happening in Lebanon on the agenda. When I was in Beirut last month, I saw the suffering of civilians first hand. Hezbollah must stop the rockets, but the EU must also act by putting sanctions on Israel back on the table. Empty political statements against war crimes are of no use.”
Renew Europe has urged the EU to support efforts toward a durable political solution - one that is inclusive and regionally owned. The fragile ceasefire must deliver real outcomes: Israeli withdrawal and internationally supervised disarmament of Hezbollah.
Lebanon is not a peripheral crisis. It is a test of whether Europe can act in its own neighbourhood.