After his forced departure from Beirut Water Office, Jean Gebran defends his record
Last Wednesday, Energy and Water Minister Joe Saddi told L'Orient-Le Jour that "the senior official's term ended in 2021 and the measure is purely administrative."
However, informed sources told the Al-Markazia agency that this dismissal was related to "his use of the institution to serve his electoral ambitions, after having announced his candidacy in the upcoming parliamentary elections under the banner of the Free Patriotic Movement [FPM] in Jbeil."
The same sources specified that the decision was not an act of political retribution but a reform measure, pointing to "the flagrant use of services and hirings in Jbeil and Kesrouan as a form of political clientelism." Gebran is considered close to the Free Patriotic Movement, while Saddi is close to the Lebanese Forces (LF), the FPM's political rival on the Christian scene. Before Saddi's appointment, the Energy Ministry had been headed by Aounist ministers since 2008.
In his statement, Gebran said he "expected thanks only from the faithful and the innocent, and not from officials incapable of distinguishing between development and politics." Dismissed from his position by the Parliament and placed at the disposal of Minister Saddi, he thanked "all those with whom I had the honor to work within this administration, especially during the most difficult periods." He further said, "I forgive all those who doubted me, openly or in secret, because I excuse them: They do not know the truth."
Affirming that his management of the administration had been "irreproachable over the past seven years," he "apologized to the citizens whose needs I was unable to meet, not out of negligence on my part, but for lack of available resources."
In recent years, the Lebanese public administration has suffered from repeated political crises, a presidential vacancy that lasted from October 2022 to January 2025, and economic collapse, which, due to the sharp depreciation of the national currency, has significantly eroded salaries. Water supply is regularly cut off or rationed in Beirut, often due to power outages preventing the operation of the Office's pumps.
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It amounts to facilitating the murder of resistance fighters and their families and driving them from their homes ... This government is carrying out an American decision and serving the Israeli project, whether it realizes it or not," adding, "Are you satisfied that Netanyahu congratulated you?" This was a reference to comments made by the Israeli prime minister at a press conference last weekend, during which he stated that it was thanks to Israel's actions, which weakened the party, that the Lebanese government was "talking" about disarming it. Banned from training the Lebanese army Qassem also called on the Lebanese government to "come together to plan the response to the aggression and build the country, and not to submit to American-Israeli arrogance." "Have you heard Netanyahu say he wants Greater Israel?" he added, referring to comments made by the Israeli prime minister. The expression "Greater Israel" alludes to biblical borders from the time of King Solomon, which would include the West Bank but also part of the territories located in neighboring countries, and which ultra-nationalist Israelis wish to occupy. In a speech this week, Netanyahu said he was "very attached" to this "vision." "We hope that some Arab countries will remain silent instead of supporting the enemy in its strikes against the resistance," Qassem stated, while several Gulf countries reacted strongly to the Israeli prime minister's comments. "The government has taken an extremely serious decision, in violation of the cohabitation pact ... The ministerial statement referred to a defensive strategy; where is it? You want to remove the legitimacy of arming the resistance? You cannot, because the resistance drew its legitimacy from the Taif Agreement, the Constitution, and the bloodshed, not from you," he said. He added that it was "forbidden to drag the army into internal discord; its record is impeccable, and its leadership does not wish to engage in it." "We hold the Lebanese government entirely responsible for any discord that might arise. We don't want it, but some are working on it," the Hezbollah leader stated. Qassem also said that the party and the Amal Movement, an ally, would hold off on any demonstrations to leave the door open to any possible further discussions. Hezbollah supporters mobilized for several days in a row after the decision, while being supervised by the army. Hezbollah suffered heavy human and material losses during the more than year-long war with Israel, following its decision to open a support front in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, did not prevent Qassem from speaking of the prospect of victory against his Israeli adversary, likening the party's fight to "the Battle of Karbala" in 680 AD, during which Imam Hussein and his men were killed. This rhetoric was already at the center of the commemorations organized in July for Ashura. "We will fight this Battle of Karbala against the American-Israeli project, and we are confident of victory," he stated.
