The Qornet Shehwan Gathering ( ar, لقاء قرنة شهوان) is a Lebanese political organization, comprising politicians, intellectuals, and businesspeople, mostly

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and ranging in ideology from the centre-right to the centre-left. The organization is not a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

in the classical sense: its members belong to, and in some cases lead, a variety of political parties. It is more of a loose

coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

, although whether it intends to organize electorally is unclear. The coalition adheres to seven principles and pursues five objectives.

History

The coalition takes its name from the town of its headquarters, Qornet Shehwan, a town in the

Matn District Matn ( ar, قضاء المتن, '), sometimes spelled Metn (or preceded by the article El, as in El Matn), is a district (''qadaa'') in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon, east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut. The district capital is Jd ...

of the

Mount Lebanon Governorate french: Gouvernorat du Mont-Liban , native_name_lang = , image_map = Administrative divisions of Lebanon 2017-08 (Numbered).png , map_caption = The governorates of Lebanon, including Mount Lebanon (in pink, label ...

, and the seat of the

Maronite The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the larges ...

Archbishopric of the district. It was founded on 30 April 2001 by total of 29 individuals, representing political parties and civic organizations, as well as independents, with the blessing of the

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir ('; ar, الكاردينال مار نصر الله بطرس صفير; la, Victor Petrus Sfeir; 15 May 1920 – 12 May 2019) was the patriarch of Lebanon's largest Christian body, the Maronite Church, an Eastern Catholic ...

The Daily Star, Beirut, 1 May 2001. and under the leadership of the region's bishop Youssef Bechara. Membership (see below) has fluctuated since, as some founding members and parties are no longer affiliated. Even Patriarch Sfeir retreated from his earlier endorsement of the group (under government pressure, some allege) to a less partisan stance. Some who have left continue to work with the coalition informally, however. As a prelude to a full withdrawal of Syrian troops, the Qornet Shehwan originally called for their redeployment to the

Bekaa The Beqaa Valley ( ar, links=no, وادي البقاع, ', Lebanese ), also transliterated as Bekaa, Biqâ, and Becaa and known in classical antiquity as Coele-Syria, is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon. It is Lebanon's most important ...

Valley and described

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

as the main danger to Lebanon. In the wake of the assassination of former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Rafic Hariri Rafic Bahaa El Deen Al Hariri ( ar, رفيق بهاء الدين الحريري; 1 November 1944 – 14 February 2005) was a Lebanese business tycoon and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from ...

on 14 February 2005, however, the Qornet Shehwan escalated its campaign to call for the immediate withdrawal of Syrian military and intelligence forces from Lebanon, and for fresh parliamentary and presidential elections to be held, free from foreign interference. Qornet Shehwan member (and now parliamentarian)

Samir Frangieh Samir Frangieh (4 December 1945 – 11 April 2017) was a Lebanese politician and a leftist intellectual. He was a member of the Lebanese Parliament. He was from the Frangieh family, one of the well-known political families of Lebanon. Early li ...

said on 16 March 2005 that parliamentary elections must precede presidential ones, because the current parliament (elected in 2000 and allegedly

gerrymander In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...

ed to produce a pro-Syrian majority), would be likely to elect another pro-Syrian

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

to succeed

Émile Lahoud Émile Jamil Lahoud (born 12 January 1936) was a Lebanese politician who served as the 16th president of Lebanon from 1998 to 2007. His main foreign-policy achievement was to end the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon in May 2000, which was ...

, whom the opposition considers to be a Syrian puppet. The 2005 parliamentary elections results were disastrous for the Qornet Shehwan Gathering, because most of their candidates lost to

Free Patriotic Movement The Free Patriotic Movement ( ar, التيار الوطني الحر, ) is a Lebanese political party. Founded by Michel Aoun in 2005, the party is currently led by Aoun son-in-law Gebran Bassil since 2015. Ideology The Free Patriotic movemen ...

of general Michel Aoun, whose candidates grabbed 21 seats in the Christian heartland. Only 14 members of the gathering (

Nayla Moawad Nayla Moawad (, ar, نايلة معوض) (born 3 July 1940) is a Lebanese politician and former First Lady of Lebanon. Outside of Lebanon, she is best known as the widow of former President René Moawad, who was assassinated on 22 November 19 ...

Jawad Boulos Jawad is a Tehsil and a Nagar Panchayat in Neemuch district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. There are six towns and 105 villages in Jawad. Demographics As of the 2011 Census of India, Jawad had a population of 17,129. Males constitu ...

Solange Gemayel Solange Gemayel (born 1949) is a Lebanese political figure and former First Lady of Lebanon. The widow of former President-elect Bachir Gemayel (1947–1982), who was assassinated days before he was due to take office in 1982, she helped to found ...

Gebran Tueni Gebran Ghassan Tueni ( ar, جبران تويني; 15 September 1957 – 12 December 2005) was a Lebanese politician and the former editor and publisher of daily paper ''An Nahar'', established by his grandfather, also named Gebran Tueni, ...

Boutros Harb Boutros Harb (بطرس حرب) (born 3 August 1944) is a Lebanese politician who served at different cabinet posts including Minister of Telecommunications. Early life and education Harb was born into a Maronite family in Tannourine, Lebanon ...

, two of the

Kataeb The Kataeb Party ( ar, حزب الكتائب اللبنانية '), also known in English as the Phalanges, is a Christian political party in Lebanon. The party played a major role in the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990). In decline in the la ...

candidates and six of the Lebanese Forces candidates) managed to get to the parliament.

Principles

The Qornet Shehwan Gathering adheres to the following seven principles: # Lebanon is not an artificial state, but a homeland for all Lebanese people. As such, it is entitled to its independence, and can solve its problems only as an independent nation. # Differences between Lebanon's political groups and religious sects must be solved by mutual respect and dialogue, not by confrontation. # The

Taif Agreement The Taif Agreement ( ar, اتفاق الطائف), officially known as the ( ar, وثيقة الوفاق الوطني, label=none'')'', was reached to provide "the basis for the ending of the civil war and the return to political normalcy in Le ...

and the related subsequent

constitutional A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princip ...

amendments must be implemented as written, not manipulated by "external forces to achieve internal gains." (At this point, the Qornet Shehwan differs from some of the more extreme opposition groups, which reject the Taif Agreement). # A modern constitutional structure, based on democracy and committed to the rule of law, guaranteeing equality for all citizens, must be built. The judiciary should be independent of political interference. #

is seen as "the major source of danger to the people and the land." The resistance to the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon (1982–2000) is applauded. (In this matter, the Qornet Shehwan does not antagonize the

foreign policy A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...

status quo, thereby avoiding a divisive political issue). # The

Syrian occupation of Lebanon The Syrian occupation of Lebanon ( ar, الاحتلال السوري للبنان, french: Occupation syrienne du Liban) began in 1976, during the Lebanese Civil War, and ended on 30 April 2005 after the Cedar Revolution and several demonstrati ...

must end, and Lebanon and Syria must reconstitute their relationship as equal parties. Sound relations and "brotherly ties" can be achieved only if neither party is controlled by the other. # Lebanon is an integral part of the

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

world, and wants to play a full part in it as a sovereign state.

Objectives

The Qornet Shehwan Gathering pursues the following five objectives: # The withdrawal of all Syrian forces from Lebanon and the recovery of full sovereignty. # Formulation of a new electoral law to eliminate

ing, establishment of judicial independence, and limitation of the right of security forces to intervene. # Comprehensive national reconciliation, the return of exiles, and the release of political prisoners. # Palestinian refugees in Lebanon to be moved to the Palestinian state, with Israel and the international community charged with responsibility for their resettlement. # An Arab-wide "just and comprehensive" peace settlement with Israel to "safeguard Arab rights." No peace settlement is to be made by Lebanon unilaterally.

Membership

The following parties and individuals are or have been members of the Qornet Shehwan Gathering. Parties, and their respective members, are listed alphabetically, except for the leader of the party who, if a Qornet participant, is placed at the top of his or her party's list. Those who are currently members of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

are tagged ''(MP).''

Present members

Lebanese Forces * Abillammaa, Eddy (Maronite; MP) Democratic Renewal Movement * Ziadeh, Kamil (Maronite; former MP) Kataeb (Phalangist) Party * Gemayel, Amine (

; former

, 1982–1988) * Gemayel, Solange (Maronite; widow of president-elect

Bachir Gemayel Bachir Pierre Gemayel ( ; 10 November 1947 – 14 September 1982) was a Lebanese militia commander who led the Lebanese Forces, the military wing of the Kataeb Party in the Lebanese Civil War and was elected President of Lebanon in 1982 ...

, MP) * Elie Karame (

Melkite The term Melkite (), also written Melchite, refers to various Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian churches of the Byzantine Rite and their members originating in the Middle East. The term comes from the common Central Semitic Semitic root, ro ...

-Greek Catholic) Independence Movement – Harakat Al-Istiklal * Moawad, Michel (Maronite) * Moawad, Nayla (Maronite; MP) *Boulos, Jawad (Maronite) *El Douaihy, Youssef (Maronite) Maronite League * Shehab, Hares (Maronite) National Liberal Party * Chamoun, Dory (Maronite;MP) * Abou Assi, Elias (Maronite) Independents * El-Bone, Mansour (Maronite; former MP) * Frangieh, Samir (Maronite; former MP) * Harb, Boutros (Maronite; MP) * Honein, Salah (Maronite; former MP) * Karam, Simon (Maronite; former Lebanese Ambassador to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

) * Khoury, Michel (Maronite; former minister) * Nehme, Jad (Maronite) * Souaid, Fares Son of Nouhad Souaid (Maronite; former MP)

Former members

Democratic Renewal (Lebanon) The Democratic Renewal Movement ( ar, حركة التجدد الديموقراطي; often known by the shortened name ''Tajaddod'') is a reformist, social liberal, secular political party in Lebanon. The party was founded in 2001 by a group of 50 ...

** Salem, Nadim (Greek Catholic; former MP and Minister) (Natural Death) * Kataeb (Phalangist) Party: ** Gemayel, Pierre (Maronite; former MP) (assassinated) ** Ghanem, Antoine (Maronite; former MP) (assassinated) *

(led by General Michel Aoun): ** Nader, Sami (Maronite) ** Khoury, Youssef (Maronite) * Lebanese Forces: ** Hindi, Toufic ( Syriac Orthodox) * National Bloc: ** Kleemos, Antoine (Maronite) ** Kortbawi, Shakeeb (Maronite) ** Malak, Samir Abdel (Maronite) ** Salhab, Salim (Maronite) *independents: ** Khazen, Farid el- (Maronite; Professor of Political Science at the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...

, MP) ** Tueni, Gebran (Greek Orthodox; former MP) (assassinated) ** Tueni, Ghassan (

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...

; former chairman of

An-Nahar ''An-Nahar'' ( ar, النهار, lit=The Day or The Morning) is a leading Arabic-language daily newspaper published in Lebanon. In the 1980s, ''An-Nahar'' was described by the ''New York Times'' and ''Time Magazine'' as the newspaper of record ...

; former MP, father of former-MP

, killed on 12 December 2005). He died in 2012.

References

External links

Independence Movement "Harakat Al Istiklal" Official website

Lebanese Forces Official Website

René MOAWAD Foundation

Lebanese March 14 Emigrant Assembly
*
Al Kataeb Official Website
{{Lebanese political parties Political party alliances in Lebanon Political parties established in 2001 2001 establishments in Lebanon