September 18, 2024
The American Mideast Coalition for Democracy believes Congressman Greg Steube’s “‘Preventing Armed Groups from Engaging in Radicalism” (PAGER) Act is an excellent piece of legislation designed to help the Lebanese people rein in Hezbollah by placing conditions on U.S, funding now going to the Lebanese Armed Forces. This legislation calls for the purging of Hezbollah operatives from the government and military and calls for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1559 which stipulates the disarming and disbanding of all militia groups in Lebanon, including the destruction of military equipment or aid received from Iran – the main state sponsor of the terror group Hezbollah.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran through Hezbollah has captured the LAF and US taxpayers are funding our enemies,” stated AMCD co-chair John Hajjar. “This must stop now. It’s time for the LAF to stand on the side of the Lebanese and defend their sovereignty against the forces of darkness.”
“This legislation is an excellent first step to help the long-suffering Lebanese gain back control of their country,” said foreign policy expert and AMCD advisor Dr. Walid Phares. “Purging Hezbollah operatives from positions of power, whether in the military or government, will not be an easy task and will require real determination on the part of the loyal Lebanese. This legislation lends strong support for UNSCR 1559, which was introduced by the US and France and voted in September 2004, and shows that twenty years later, we still stand with them against the forces of terror.”
This legislation also addresses the ongoing problem of Lebanese military courts attempting to indict and imprison Lebanese citizens and some with dual American Lebanese citizens for various “crimes,” including speaking out against Hezbollah or even for associating with Israelis in any capacity, including journalists who have simply interviewed Israeli officials in the course of their work. These Hezbollah judges have even attempted to intimidate duel American-Lebanese citizens including our co-chair, Tom Harb. This legislation calls for the dismissal of all such charges and the restoration of freedom of speech and association to the people of Lebanon.
“Freedom of speech is a God-given right, which no government should have the power to remove or restrain,” said AMCD co-chair and dual U.S.-Lebanese citizen Tom Harb, who was issued an arrest warrant from a Lebanese military court due to his having spoken out against Hezbollah in the media. “I want to personally thank Congressman Steube and his staff for their courage and hard work on this legislation. No American taxpayer funds should ever be subsidizing the nefarious activities of this terrorist organization, either directly or indirectly.”