BEIRUT, May 22, 2025 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas was honored on Thursday with the prestigious Peacemakers Award for 2025 by the Hani Fahs Academy for Dialogue and Peace, in recognition of his efforts to foster Palestinian-Lebanese reconciliation and his firm commitment to dialogue and rejection of violence.
The award ceremony took place on the sidelines of President Abbas’s official visit to Lebanon.
In his acceptance speech, President Abbas expressed profound gratitude, stating that the award bears the cherished name of the late scholar, thinker, and humanist, Hani Fahs, who was a courageous defender of noble values: dialogue, openness, tolerance — and above all, of Palestine and its just cause.
“Fahs embodied the image of the Arab man who believed in a shared destiny, and that justice is the only path to peace,” President Abbas said, adding that the late cleric left behind an enduring legacy in ethics and principled positions, which continues to inspire generations and serves as a cornerstone of joint Arab action for freedom and dignity.
President Abbas thanked the academy for the honor, emphasizing that the award reflects recognition of the Palestinian people’s national struggle for their rights and the pursuit of a just and comprehensive peace. He reaffirmed Palestine’s commitment to unity, sovereignty, and national independence.
He also underscored the historic and deep-rooted ties between the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples, expressing deep appreciation for Lebanon’s sacrifices and steadfast support of the Palestinian cause since the Nakba of 1948.
Reiterating a longstanding position, Abbas stressed that Palestinians in Lebanon are temporary guests until they can return to their homeland. He affirmed that Palestinian refugee camps are under the sovereignty of the Lebanese state and military and that any weapons outside the framework of the state weaken both Lebanon and the Palestinian cause.
The President renewed his call to world leaders to act urgently to end the siege on Gaza, facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid, and stop the ongoing Israeli war of genocide and extermination targeting the Palestinian people.
He concluded by outlining Palestine’s immediate priorities: ending the Israeli assault, delivering humanitarian and medical aid, and reuniting Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem under a single legal and political framework with one legitimate Palestinian authority.
He also called for an end to Israeli aggression against Lebanon and full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
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