October 23, 2026
The recent political debate between the head of the “Lebanese Forces” party, Samir Geagea, and the head of the “Free Patriotic Movement,” MP Gebran Bassil, revealed a radical difference in the style of communication, after Geagea resorted to using sharp expressions, while Bassil contented himself with responding through an evangelical text calling for tolerance.
In a media appearance, Geagea used the phrase, “May God curse those who watch and curse Gebran Bassil and his group,” which raised questions about the level of political discourse, especially since the expressions issued reflect a decline in the language of communication between political leaders, and raise question marks about the extent to which party leaders adhere to the simplest rules of public decency in political disputes.
On the other hand, Basil avoided engaging in personal debate or responding with insults, and contented himself with publishing a verse from the Gospel of Saint Luke on his platforms, which reads: “Bless those who curse you and pray for those who despitefully use you.” This brief response carried profound connotations, represented by pitting the “blessing” against the “curse,” and tolerance in the face of insults, which demonstrated the ability of the political response to have an impact without the need for insults.
This discrepancy raised observers’ astonishment, given the background of the two parties competing to represent the same broad segment of Christians in Lebanon, as it seemed striking that sharp language was issued by the leader of a party presenting himself as a defender of Christian values, while the corresponding response was based on the essence of Christian teachings of love and tolerance.
This incident is not separate from the broader debate about the minimum level of respect that must be met in public discourse, regardless of the correctness of political positions or the history of disagreements between the two parties. The scene showed a clear contradiction between language closer to personal debates and a more sober stance, through which Bassil succeeded in dealing with the attack without being drawn into exchanging insults.
