Lebanese MP: Hezbollah disarmament could lead to inclusion in Abraham Accords 

Makhzoumi urged Lebanon’s military to establish a checkpoint in Beirut’s Dahieh neighborhood to disarm Hezbollah.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Lebanese Sunni MP Fouad Makhzoumi said Lebanon could establish peace with Israel and join the Abraham Accords if Hezbollah is fully disarmed and armed groups are prevented from dragging the country into future conflicts.

“I don’t see any reason why we cannot sign peace with Israel,” Makhzoumi said in an interview with Middle East 24, adding that Lebanon could “achieve” membership in the Abraham Accords.

Makhzoumi said normalization with Israel would benefit Lebanon but maintained that diplomatic relations and trade could move forward only once “our side, as Lebanese, disarms the militias.”

He said Lebanon must ensure armed groups are no longer able to use the country as a base for attacks or involve it in conflicts based on their own ideological objectives.

Makhzoumi said the country needs to disarm Hezbollah and “make sure that there is no opportunity for somebody to take me to a war under ideological reasons.”

In addition to addressing armed groups, Makhzoumi said Lebanon would need to establish a strong banking system that complies with international regulations and “have peace with Israel.”

The Lebanese lawmaker has previously called on the country’s military to demonstrate its willingness to confront Hezbollah’s weapons trafficking.

He urged the military to establish a checkpoint in Beirut’s Dahieh neighborhood as part of those efforts.

Makhzoumi’s comments come as regional and US officials have held broader discussions about possible changes in regional alliances and greater economic cooperation. Recent investments from the UAE have also been part of developments surrounding economic cooperation in the region.