1. Early life

2. Political career
    Collapse of government in 2011  2017 Lebanon–Saudi Arabia dispute 

3. Personal life

4. Controversies
    Dispute with Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri  Comments on Israel  Proposed citizenship changes 

5. See also

6. References

7. External links

Gebran Gerge Bassil ({{lang-ar|جبران جرجي باسيل}}; born 21 June 1970) is a Lebanese politician, and as of 20 September 2015, the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement.

Bassil was an activist for the Free Patriotic Movement from 1998 to 2005. In 2009, he served as the Minister of Telecommunications then as the Minister of Water and Energy in 2011 and is currently the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants.

In September 2015, he became the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement taking over the position that was occupied by his father-in-law,

founder of the FPM and Lebanese President, Michel Aoun.

Early life

Bassil was born in a Maronite Christian family. Bassil received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in civil engineering from the American University of Beirut in 1992 and 1993 respectively.^[1]

He was a member of a number of associations: the Lebanese Red Cross and Rotary Club of Batroun, Lebanon.^[1]

Political career

Between the years of 1998 and 2005, Gebran Bassil was an activist for various positions in the Free Patriotic Movement in Lebanon. In 2005, he became a candidate in the general elections in the district of Batroun. He didn't succeed at getting elected. From 2005 to 2008, Bassil became the head of the Free Patriotic Movement.

He served as the Minister of telecommunications in the Lebanese cabinet led by Fouad Siniora from May 2008 to June 2009, and then as the minister of energy in the cabinet headed by Saad Hariri^[2] Bassil lost the general elections held in 2009.^[3]

He has been serving as the Minister of Energy and Water in the cabinet headed by Najib Mikati since June 2011, and assumed the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants as of February 2014. In the general election of 2018, Bassil was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Batroun-Koura-Zgharta-Bsharri electoral district.^[4]

Collapse of government in 2011

On 12 January 2011, the government collapsed after Bassil announced that all ten opposition ministers had resigned following months of warnings by Hezbollah that it would not remain inactive should there be indictments against the group. The New York Times suggested the resignations came after the collapse of talks between Syria and Saudi Arabia to ease tensions in Lebanon.

2017 Lebanon–Saudi Arabia dispute

Lebanon's president Aoun and some Lebanese officials including Bassil believed that the abrupt resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri was made under coercion by Saudis and have claimed that the Saudis have kept him hostage.

This led Bassil to visit multiple European countries and meet with senior EU leaders to rally diplomatic support for Lebanon and its stability. During his European tour, he met with High Representative/Vice-President of the European Union Federica Mogherini in Brussels,^[5] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu,^[6] German FM Sigmar Gabriel,^[7] Russian FM Sergei Lavrov^[8] and French President Emmanuel Macron.^[9]

Personal life

Bassil and his wife Chantal Michel Aoun have three children.^[10] His father in law is the current Lebanese president (since 31 October 2016) and the former leader and the founder of the Free Patriotic Movement, Michel Aoun.^[11]

Controversies

Dispute with Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri

In a meeting with FPM supporters in Batroun district, Bassil accused Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri of seeking to derail a diaspora conference organized by the Foreign Ministry in Abidjan by forcing Shiite businessmen to boycott the gathering. Bassil accused Berri of threatening to have Shiite businessmen participating in the conference fired from their jobs and the bank funding the diaspora gathering closed.

Bassil's comments were revealed in a leaked video which was broadcast by Al Jadeed local TV station. The video sparked an outcry on social media with Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, Berri's top political aide, blasting Bassil for crossing a red line and describing him as a "political dwarf" with sectarian motives. The leaked video also triggered a wave of street protests by the Berri's supporters, who responded by blocking a number of Beirut’s major roads and vital arteries with burning tires.

Bassil’s “thug” remark was the tip of the iceberg of long-simmering tension between the FPM and the Amal Movement that started with a decree that sought to promote a number of Army officers who has served under Aoun in the late 1980s when he was Army commander.

Comments on Israel

Bassil was criticized by many Lebanese politicians after an interview in December 2017 with Al-Mayadeen in which he stated that Lebanon does not have an ideological problem with Israel.

He also said in that interview that he was not against Israel "living in security".^[12]

Proposed citizenship changes

In March 2018 Bassil proposed amending Lebanese naturalization laws to allow citizenship to be passed from mothers onto their children. The bill drew criticism for not applying to women in marriages with men from neighbouring countries which activists argue is a violation of their rights.^[13]

See also

• List of foreign ministers in 2017
• List of current foreign ministers
• Free Patriotic Movement
• Michel Aoun

References

External links

• Silver thioarsenite
• Silverthorne, CO
• Silverthorne, Colorado
• Silverthorn (novel)
• Silvertide
• Silvertine
• Silvertip
• Silvertip bear
• Silverton
• Silverton, CO
• Silverton, Colorado
• Silverton, Devon
• Silverton, Devon, UK
• Silvertone
• Silvertone (album)
• Silvertone (brand)
• Silvertone record label
• Silvertone Records
• Silverton, New South Wales
• Silverton, OH
• Silverton, Ohio
• Silverton, OR
• Silverton, Oregon
• Silverton, Texas
• Silverton Township, MN