Content deleted Content added
m robot Adding: de |
Soetermans (talk | contribs) m Reverted edit by BikramSingha1 (talk) to last version by JJMC89 bot III |
||
Line 1:
{{Short description|Lebanese Christian democratic political party}}
{{Redirect2|Phalangism|Phalangist|the general, originally Spanish, term|Falangism}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox political party
| name = Lebanese Kataeb Party
| native_name = حزب الكتائب اللبنانية
| colorcode = {{party color|Kataeb Party}}
| logo = Kataeb Party logo.svg
| logo_size = 200px
| leader1_title = President
| leader1_name = [[Samy Gemayel]]
| leader2_title = Founder
| leader2_name = [[Pierre Gemayel]]
| secretary_general = Serge Dagher<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dagher Appointed as Kataeb Secretary-General |url=https://en.kataeb.org/articles/dagher-appointed-as-kataeb-secretary-general- |access-date=2024-08-12 |website=kataeb.org |language=en}}</ref>
| foundation = {{Start date|1936|11|5|df=y}}
| headquarters = [[Saifi Village|Saifi, Beirut]]
| ideology = {{nowrap|[[Lebanese nationalism]]<ref name="Newsweek">{{cite news|last=Daoud|first=David|date=12 January 2017|url=https://www.newsweek.com/hezbollahs-latest-conquest-lebanons-cabinet-541487|title=Hezbollah's Latest Conquest: Lebanon's Cabinet|work=[[Newsweek]]}}</ref><br />[[Christian democracy]]<br />[[Social conservatism]]<br />[[Maronite politics]]<br />'''Historical:'''<br />[[Falangism]]<br />[[Anti-communism]]}}<br />[[Christian nationalism]]<ref name="meforum">{{cite journal|last=Gambill|first=Gary C.|author2=Bassam Endrawos|title=The Assassination of Elie Hobeika|journal=Middle East Intelligence Bulletin|date=January 2002|volume=4|issue=1|url=http://www.meforum.org/meib/articles/0201_l1.htm|access-date=15 June 2012|archive-date=27 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627081648/http://www.meforum.org/meib/articles/0201_l1.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><br />[[Phoenicianism]]
| european = [[European People's Party]] (regional partner)
| international = [[Christian Democrat International]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Parties |url=https://idc-cdi.com/parties/ |website=IDC-CDI |access-date=26 August 2024}}</ref><br />[[International Democracy Union]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.idu.org/members/|title=Members | International Democracy Union|date=1 February 2018}}</ref>
| position = [[Centre-right]]<ref name="Newsweek" /><br />'''Historical:'''<br />[[Right-wing politics|Right-wing]] to [[Far-right politics|far-right]]
| religion = Mostly [[Christianity in Lebanon|Christianity]] (officially secular)
| slogan = "God. Homeland. Family."
| colours = {{Color box|#228B22|border=silver}} Green<br />{{color box|#FFFFFF|border=silver}} White<br />{{Color box|#7B3F00|border=silver}} Brown (customary)
| native_name_lang = ar
| national = [[Tripartite Alliance (Lebanon)|Helf Alliance]] (1968–1969)<br />[[Lebanese Front]] (1976–1986)<br />[[March 14 Alliance]] (2005–2016)<br>Lebanese Opposition (2016–2025)<ref name="opposition"/>
| blank1_title = Military wing
| blank1 = [[Kataeb Regulatory Forces]] (1961–1980)<br />[[Lebanese Forces (militia)|Lebanese Forces]] (1980–1985)
| seats1_title = [[Parliament of Lebanon]]
| seats1 = {{Composition bar|4|128|hex={{party color|Kataeb Party}}}}
| seats2_title = [[Council of Ministers of Lebanon|Cabinet of Lebanon]]
| seats2 = {{Composition bar|1|24|hex={{party color|Kataeb Party}}}}
| flag = [[File:Flag of Kataeb Party.svg|150px|border]]
| website = {{Official URL}}
| country = Lebanon
| abbreviation = Kataeb
}}
{{Maronite Politics sidebar}}
The '''Kataeb Party''' ({{lit|Battalions Party}}), officially the '''Kataeb Party – Lebanese Social Democratic Party''' ({{langx|ar|حزب الكتائب اللبنانية – الحزب الديمقراطي الاجتماعي اللبناني}} ''{{transliteration|ar|Ḥizb al-Katā'ib al-Lubnānīya}}''),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lebanesekataeb.com/|title=Lebanese Kataeb Party – حزب الكتائب اللبنانية|website=Kataeb Party}}</ref> also known as the '''Phalangist Party''', is a [[right-wing politics|right-wing]] [[Christianity in Lebanon|Christian]] political party in [[Lebanon]] founded by [[Pierre Gemayel]] in 1936.
The party and its [[paramilitary]] wings played a major role in the [[Lebanese Civil War]] (1975–1990), opposing [[Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon]] as well as [[Wartime collaboration|collaborating]] with [[Israel]]. The Phalangists were responsible for the [[Black Saturday (Lebanon)|Black Saturday massacre]], the [[Tel al-Zaatar massacre]], [[Ehden massacre]], and the [[Karantina massacre]]. In 1982, Pierre's youngest son [[Bachir Gemayel|Bachir]], the leader of the party's [[Lebanese Forces (Christian militia) |militia]], was elected [[President of Lebanon|President]], but was [[Assassination of Bachir Gemayel|assassinated]] before he could take office. This led to Phalangist militiamen committing the infamous [[Sabra and Shatilla massacre|Sabra and Shatila massacre]] during the [[1982 Lebanon War|1982 war]], with support from the [[IDF]].<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=al-Hout |first=Bayan Nuwayhed |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt18fs4j6 |title=Sabra and Shatila: September 1982 |date=2004 |publisher=Pluto Press |isbn=978-0-7453-2302-2 |doi=10.2307/j.ctt18fs4j6 |jstor=j.ctt18fs4j6}}</ref>
[[Bachir Gemayel|Bachir]] was succeeded by his older brother [[Amine Gemayel|Amine]], who led the party through much of the war. In decline in the late 1980s and 1990s during the [[Syrian occupation of Lebanon]], the party slowly re-emerged in the early 2000s and is currently part of the Lebanese opposition. The party currently holds 4 out of the 128 seats in the [[Parliament of Lebanon|Lebanese Parliament]].
==Names==
The Lebanese Phalanges Party is also known as ''{{lang|fr|Phalanges Libanaises}}'' in [[French language|French]] and either ''Kataeb'' ({{lang|ar|الكتائب اللبنانية}} ''{{transliteration|ar|al-Katā'ib al-Lubnāniyya}}'') or ''Phalangist Party'' ({{lang|ar|حزب الكتائب اللبنانية}} ''{{transliteration|ar|Ḥizb al-Katā'ib al-Lubnāniyya}}'') in [[Arabic]]. ''Kataeb'' is the [[plural]] of ''Katiba'' which is a translation into Arabic of the Greek word [[Phalanx formation|phalanx]] ("[[battalion]]") which is also the origin of the Spanish term ''[[Falangism|Falange]]''. In 2021, the party changed its official name to "The Kataeb Party – Lebanese Social Democratic Party" ({{langx|ar|حزب الكتائب اللبنانيّة – الحزب الديمقراطي الاجتماعي اللبناني}}, ''Hiẓb al-Katā'ib al-Lubnāniyya – Hiẓb al-dīmūqrāṭī al-ijtimāʿī al-lubnānī'').<ref>{{cite news|title=بالصورة- تعديل اسم حزب "الكتائب"|url=https://www.imlebanon.org/2021/03/26/kataeb-party-change-name|work=[[IMLebanon]]|date=26 March 2021|access-date=27 March 2021}}</ref>
==Origins==
The Kataeb party was established on November 5, 1936<ref>{{Cite web|date=|title=History of the Lebanese Kataeb Party|url=https://www.lebanesekataeb.com/%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AE-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B2%D8%A8|access-date=January 17, 2022|website=حزب الكتائب اللبنانية (Lebanese Kataeb Party)}}</ref> as a Maronite paramilitary youth organization by [[Pierre Gemayel]] who modeled the party after the [[Nazi Party]], the Spanish [[FET y de las JONS|Falange]], and Italian [[National Fascist Party|Fascist]] parties,<ref>Lee Griffith, [https://books.google.com/books?id=4VnqkuE4c4AC The war on terrorism and the terror of God] (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1 June 2004), p. 3, {{ISBN|0-8028-2860-4}}</ref><ref>Mark Ensalaco, [https://books.google.com/books?id=i7KIa3VuD04C Middle Eastern terrorism: from Black September to September 11] (University of Pennsylvania Press, 30 November 2007), p. 85, {{ISBN|0-8122-4046-4}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=UPI CONTEXT: The Phalange Party of Lebanon - UPI Archives |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/08/29/UPI-CONTEXT-The-Phalange-Party-of-Lebanon/6914462600000/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=UPI |language=en}}</ref> all of which he had encountered as an Olympic athlete during the [[1936 Summer Olympics]] held in [[Berlin]], then [[Nazi Germany]].<ref name=":2">Thomas Collelo, ed. Lebanon: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1987. [http://countrystudies.us/lebanon/85.htm "Phalange Party" chapter]</ref><ref>Michael Johnson, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Zydtz0dDntQC All honorable men: the social origins of war in Lebanon] (I. B. Tauris, 23 November 2002), p.148, {{ISBN|1-86064-715-4}}</ref> The movement's uniforms originally included [[brown shirts]], and its members used the [[Fascist salute]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite news|first=Robert|last=Fisk|author-link=Robert Fisk|title=Lebanese strike a blow at US-backed government|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-lebanese-strike-a-blow-at-usbacked-government-460547.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213103037/http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-lebanese-strike-a-blow-at-usbacked-government-460547.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 February 2010|work=[[The Independent]]|date=7 August 2007|access-date=10 April 2009}}</ref>
In an interview by [[Robert Fisk]], Gemayel stated about [[Nazism]] and the Berlin Olympics:
<blockquote>I was the captain of the Lebanese football team and the president of the [[Federation Libanaise de Football|Lebanese Football Federation]]. We went to the Olympic Games of 1936 in Berlin. And I saw then this discipline and order. And I said to myself: "Why can't we do the same thing in Lebanon?" So when we came back to Lebanon, we created this youth movement. When I was in Berlin then, [[Nazism]] did not have the reputation that it has now. Nazism? In every system in the world, you can find something good. But Nazism was not Nazism at all. The word came afterwards. In their system, I saw discipline. And we in the Middle East, we need discipline more than anything else.<ref name="fisk90">Fisk, R. (1990). ''Pity the Nation, the abduction of Lebanon''. New York: Nation Books. 65 p.</ref></blockquote>
Pierre founded the party along with four other young Lebanese: [[Charles Helou]], who later became a [[President of Lebanon]], [[Chafic Nassif]], Emile Yared, and [[Georges Naccache]]. Gemayel was chosen to lead the organization, in part because he was not a political figure at that time.<ref name="el-kataeb.org">{{Cite web|url=http://www.el-kataeb.org/founder.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204082357/http://www.el-kataeb.org/founder.htm|url-status=dead|title=El Kataeb – Founder|archivedate=4 December 2008}}</ref>
During the first years of the Kataeb Party, the Party was strongly opposed to having any group dominate Lebanon. They opposed the [[pan-Arabists]] who tried to take over Lebanon and also the French, whom they saw as trying to infiltrate their culture and impose themselves within Lebanon.<ref name="el-kataeb.org"/> Gemayel and the Kataeb Party advocated for an independent and sovereign Lebanon free of all foreign influence.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=http://www.kataeb.org/pages.asp?pageid%3D3 |access-date=28 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418080904/http://www.kataeb.org/pages.asp?pageid=3 |archive-date=18 April 2009 |title=Lebanese Kataeb Official Portal }}</ref> They actively took part in the struggle against the [[French Mandate of Lebanon|French Mandate]], until Lebanese independence was proclaimed in November 1943. The party [[motto]] was "[[God in Christianity|God]], [[Nation]] and [[Family]]."
In the 1950s, the Phalanges, deliberately emphasized French [[personalism|personalist]] thinking in their ideological framework, particularly influenced by the works of French Christian Existentialist philosopher [[Emmanuel Mounier]] (1905–1950). Mounier's ideas, which gained prominence among Catholic students in France during the 1930s, were integral in shaping the party's philosophical underpinnings. In the Kataeb's first party program, presented at their inaugural congress in 1956, the party clearly reflected Mounier's personalist principles, which advocated for a society of citizens rather than mere collective nationalism. This approach starkly contrasted with the ideology of the [[Syrian Social Nationalist Party]] (SSNP), which emphasized the primacy of the nation over the intrinsic value of the individual. The adoption of these ideas marked a significant shift within the party and was particularly popularized by young Phalangist intellectuals who had encountered Mounier's thought during their university studies in France.<ref>{{cite web |last=Saab |first=Édouard |title=Les partis politiques de toutes tendances foisonnent dans un pays essentiellement individualiste |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1965/05/04/les-partis-politiques-de-toutes-tendances-foisonnent-dans-un-pays-essentiellement-individualiste_2170706_1819218.html |website=Le Monde |date=May 4, 1965 |access-date=August 16, 2024}}</ref>
The influence of the Phalangists was very limited in the early years of [[Lebanon]]'s independence but came to prominence as a strong ally of the government in the [[Lebanon crisis of 1958|1958 crisis]]. In the aftermath of the crisis, Gemayel was appointed to the cabinet, and two years later, was elected to the [[National Assembly of Lebanon|National Assembly]].
In 1968, the party joined the [[Helf Alliance]] formed with the two other big mainly [[Christians|Christian]] parties in Lebanon: the [[National Liberal Party (Lebanon)|National Liberal Party]] of former President [[Camille Chamoun]], and [[Lebanese National Bloc|National Bloc]] of [[Raymond Eddé]], and won 9 seats of 99 in the 1968 parliamentary elections, making it one of the largest groupings in Lebanon's notoriously fractured political system. By the end of the decade, the party created its own [[militia]], the [[Kataeb Regulatory Forces]] (KRF) and soon clashes began with the rising [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] militant guerrillas.
By the 1970s, the party had become a political giant in Lebanon, with an estimated membership of 60,000 to 70,000. The vast majority (85%) of members were [[Maronite Christianity in Lebanon|Maronites]], but some were members of minority Christian communities, [[Shia Islam in Lebanon|Shiites]], [[Druze in Lebanon|Druze]], and [[Lebanese Jews|Jews]].<ref name="Husseini">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vYiiAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA42|title=Pax Syriana: Elite Politics in Postwar Lebanon|author=Rola L. Husseini|publisher=Syracuse University Press|year=2012|page=42|isbn=9780815651949}}</ref>
==Kataeb Regulatory Forces==
{{Main|Kataeb Regulatory Forces}}
The Phalange party's militia was not only the largest and best organized political paramilitary force in [[Lebanon]] but also the oldest. It was founded in 1937 as the "Militants' organization" by the President of the Party [[Pierre Gemayel]] and [[William Hawi]], a [[Lebanese-American]] glass industrialist, who led them during the [[1958 Lebanon crisis|1958 civil war]]. Fighting alongside the pro-government forces, the Phalangists defended the [[Metn]] region.<ref>Gordon, ''The Gemayels'' (1988), p. 36.</ref><ref name=":03">Tony Badran, ''Lebanon's Militia Wars'' in ''Lebanon: Liberation, Conflict, and Crisis'' (2009), p. 38.</ref>
Disbanded in January 1961 by order of the Kataeb Party's Political Bureau, Hawi created in their place the Kataeb Regulatory Forces. In order to coordinate the activities of all Phalange paramilitary forces, the Political Bureau set up the Kataeb War Council ([[Arabic]]: ''Majliss al-Harbi'') in 1970, with William Hawi being appointed as head.<ref name=":03"/> The seat of the Council was allocated at the Kataeb Party's Headquarters at the heart of [[Ashrafieh]] quarter in [[East Beirut]] and a quiet expansion of KRF units followed suit, complemented by the development of a training infrastructure.<ref name=":03"/>
Two company-sized [[Special Forces]] units, the "1st Commando" and the "2nd Commando" were created in 1963, soon followed by the "Pierre Gemayel" squad (later a company) and a VIP protection squad.<ref name=":03"/> To this was added in 1973 another commando platoon ([[Arabic]]: ''Maghaweer'') and a "Combat School" was secretly opened at Tabrieh, near [[Bsharri]] in the [[Keserwan District]]. Another special unit, the "Bashir Gemayel brigade" – named after Pierre Gemayel's youngest son, Bashir – was formed in 1964, absorbing the old "PG" company in the process.<ref name=":03"/><ref>Saghieh, ''Ta'rib al-Kata'eb al-Lubnaniyya: al-Hizb, al-sulta, al-khawf'' (1991), p. 163.</ref>
Considered by many analysts as the best organized of all militia "[[fiefdom|fiefs]]" in the whole of Lebanon under the leadership of "chef" [[Boutros Khawand]], it was administered by a network of Phalangist-controlled business corporations headed by the GAMMA Group "brain-trust", backed by the DELTA computer company, and the SONAPORT holding. The latter had run since 1975 the legal commercial ports of Jounieh and Beirut, including the infamous clandestine "Dock Five" – "Cinquième basin" in [[French language|French]] – from which the Phalange extracted additional revenues by levying illegal taxes and carried out arms-smuggling operations.<ref>Gordon, ''The Gemayels'' (1988), pp. 58–59.</ref><ref>Menargues, ''Les Secrets de la guerre du Liban'' (2004), p. 47.</ref><ref>Traboulsi, ''Identités et solidarités croisées dans les conflits du Liban contemporain; Chapitre 12: L'économie politique des milices: le phénomène mafieux'' (2007), page unknown.</ref> The KRF was served by a clandestine-built airstrip, the '''[[Pierre Gemayel International Airport]]''', opened in 1976 at [[Hamat]], north of Batroun,<ref>Fisk, ''Pity the Nation'' (2001), p. 179.</ref> and had its own radio station '''"The Voice of Lebanon"''' ([[Arabic]]: ''Iza'at Sawt Loubnan'') or '''"[[Voix du Liban|La Voix du Liban]]" (VDL)''' in [[French language|French]] set up in 1976.
In July–August of that same year, the Phalangists headed alongside its allies, the [[Army of Free Lebanon]], [[Al-Tanzim]], NLP [[Tigers Militia (Lebanon)|Tigers Militia]], [[Guardians of the Cedars]] (GoC), the [[Tyous Team of Commandos]] (TTC) and the [[Lebanese Youth Movement]] (LYM) in the sieges – and subsequent massacres – of [[Karantina Massacre|Karantina]], al-Masklah and [[Tel al-Zaatar Massacre]]s<ref>{{cite web |url=http://forum.tayyar.org/f8/facts-ag-tal-el-za3tar-28096/index2.html |title=The Facts: AG and Tal el Za3tar - Page 2 - the Orange Room - forum.tayyar.org |website=forum.tayyar.org |access-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727163158/http://forum.tayyar.org/f8/facts-ag-tal-el-za3tar-28096/index2.html |archive-date=27 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> at the Muslim-populated slum districts and adjacent [[Palestinian refugee camps]] of East Beirut, and at the town of [[Dbayeh]] in the [[Metn]].
During the [[Lebanese Civil War#First phase (1975–1977)|1975–76 phase of the Lebanese Civil War]], the Kataeb Regulatory Forces' own mobilization and street action skills allowed the Kataeb to become the primary and most fearsome fighting force in the Christian-conservative camp.<ref name="Abraham, 1996 p. 195">Abraham, ''The Lebanon war'' (1996), p. 195.</ref>
At Beirut and elsewhere, Phalange militia sections were heavily committed in several battles against [[Lebanese National Movement]] (LNM) leftist militias and suffered considerable casualties, notably at the [[Battle of the Hotels]] in October 1975<ref>Jureidini, McLaurin, and Price, ''Military operations in selected Lebanese built-up areas'' (1979), p. 6.</ref><ref>O'Ballance, ''Civil War in Lebanon'' (1998), p. 29.</ref> where they fought the [[al-Murabitoun]] and the Nasserite Correctionist Movement (NCM), and later at the 'Spring Offensive' held against [[Mount Lebanon]] in March 1976.
==Main events==
===1936–1943===
In 1943, the Kataeb played an instrumental role in attaining Lebanon's first independence from the [[Greater Lebanon|French mandate]]. During this period, Kataeb led many social struggles to consolidate national cohesion and promote individual liberties and social welfare.<ref name="el-kataeb.org" />{{Fact or opinion|date=March 2024}} The Kataeb elaborated the first Lebanese "labour charter" in 1937. It was a pioneering initiative as it called for a minimum wage, a limitation of working hours, and paid leaves. The Kataeb was one of the first Lebanese parties to have a solid avant-garde economic program and organized social activism throughout Lebanon.<ref name=":1" />
1941 saw the creation of the first women section in a Lebanese Party. It called openly for stopping any kind of discrimination towards women. Since 1939, the Party has issued ''[[Al Amal (Lebanon)|Al Amal]]'', a leading bilingual political publication.<ref>{{cite book |author=Muhammad I. Ayish |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=veftcUFbyGMC&pg=PA110 |title=The New Arab Public Sphere |publisher=Frank & Timme GmbH |year=2008 |isbn=978-3-86596-168-6 |___location=Berlin |page=110}}</ref><ref name="Entelis1974">{{cite book |author=John Pierre Entelis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_bAfAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA62 |title=Pluralism and Party Transformation in Lebanon: Al-Kataʼib, 1936-1970 |publisher=BRILL |year=1974 |isbn=978-90-04-03911-7 |___location=Leiden |page=62}}</ref>
===1943–1958===
{{unsourced section|date=February 2025}}
The Kataeb Party entered the political and parliamentary scene during the late 1940s after a period in which it refrained from entering the political arena to focus mainly on the promotion of the youth and on social issues, away from the trivialities of post-mandate politics.
Kataeb struggled to preserve Lebanon's independence facing the growing appetite of its neighbors.{{Editorializing|date=March 2024}} The Party expanded considerably its presence throughout the territory and attracted thousands of new members, undoubtedly forming one of the largest parties in the Middle East. Kataeb adopted a modern organization which made its fame and became its trademark.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} In 1958 the Kataeb was the key actor in confronting the coup influenced by pan-Arabists led by Gamal Abdel Nasser, President of the ephemeral United Arab Republic (Egypt, Syria, and Yemen), and succeeded in maintaining Lebanon's independence and liberal identity.<ref name="el-kataeb.org" />{{Failed verification|date=March 2024}}
===1958–1969===
{{unsourced section|date=February 2025}}
After having succeeded in preserving the Lebanese formula, Kataeb Party ranks grew considerably and reached 70,000 members, out of a total population of 2.2 million.<ref name="el-kataeb.org" />{{Failed verification|date=March 2024}} The Party achieved many electoral successes and became the main Christian component of successive governments. During the ministerial mandates held by its members, it made elementary education mandatory, and improved the public school infrastructure. On a social level, the Kataeb Party introduced "labor laws" and contributed decisively to social security law. The party played a key role in promoting modern institutions that are still today the pillars of the Lebanese administrative system, including the Civil Service Council, the Central Inspection Board, and many others.<ref name="el-kataeb.org" />{{Failed verification|date=March 2024}}
[[Pierre Gemayel]], leader of the party and minister of public works, gave Lebanon a large part of its modern infrastructure by completing 440 development projects during his term.<ref name="el-kataeb.org" />{{Failed verification|date=March 2024}} Lebanon was at its peak and became a first-tier destination for world tourism. But what was labeled as the "Switzerland of the Middle East" was a shaky construction, with the influx of Palestinian refugees after 1949 setting the stage for an ominous future.<ref name="el-kataeb.org" />{{Failed verification|date=March 2024}}
=== 1970–1982 ===
[[File:Celebrating the anniversary of the Kataeb in 1971 (William Hawi and Pierre Gemayel).jpg|thumb|294x294px|[[Pierre Gemayel]] and [[William Hawi]] celebrating the anniversary of the Kataeb in 1971.]]
In the early 1970s, Christian leaders in Lebanon feared that the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] (PLO) was increasingly operating in Lebanon as a [[state within a state]]. While it is contested whether the Palestinian presence was a cause of the [[Lebanese Civil War]], Lebanon's political balance had been fragile since 1958 and political tensions were already running high among the Lebanese.<ref>Eugene Rogan. ''The Arabs: A History.'' New York: Basic Books, 2011. pp. 380–381.</ref>
The [[Lebanese Civil War]] erupted in 1975 following the Ain ar-Rummaneh [[1975 Beirut bus massacre|Bus Massacre]], which was carried out by Phalangist militants and regarded as the starting point of the Lebanese civil war.<ref name="Khalaf, Samir 2002">Khalaf, Samir (2002): Civil and Uncivil Violence in Lebanon: A History of the Internationalization of Human Contact; New York: Columbia University Press; p. 228f</ref> Following this development, and coupled with the disintegration of the state institutions and the army, the country became an open battlefield. Many foreign states were directly and militarily involved in the Lebanese conflict, especially Syria, which, under the banner of Arab solidarity, tried to impose its authority upon the country, and Israel, which invaded Lebanon [[1978 South Lebanon conflict|in 1978]]. The Kataeb Party, along with other political parties, formed the [[Lebanese Forces]] and battled to preserve Lebanon and its independence and integrity.<ref>[[Itamar Rabinovich]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=Af-tDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA83 The war for Lebanon, 1970–1985] (Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London 1989 (revised edition)), p.60, {{ISBN|978-0-8014-9313-3}}</ref> During the war, the Phalangists were responsible for several massacres, including the [[Tel al-Zaatar massacre]], the [[Black Saturday (Lebanon)|Black Saturday massacre]], the [[Karantina massacre]], and the [[Sabra and Shatila massacre|Sabra and Shatilla massacre.]]<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=O'Ballance |first=Edgar |title=Civil war in Lebanon, 1975-92 |date=1998 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-0-312-21593-4 |___location=New York, N.Y}}</ref><ref name=":4" />
The Kataeb Party succeeded in getting two of its leaders elected to the presidency. President-elect [[Bachir Gemayel]], son of Pierre Gemayel and leader of the Lebanese Forces, was assassinated in 1982 when an explosion rocked the Party's headquarters in the Achrafieh area of Beirut. The architect of the blast was a member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party. In the aftermath of the assassination, Amin Gemayel, the eldest son of Pierre Gemayel, was elected President of the Lebanese Republic. The Kataeb Party was heavily supported by Israel throughout the Civil War and, with the support of the IDF, committed the [[Sabra and Shatila massacre|Sabra and Shatilla massacre]] in 1982, during which Phalangist members murdered hundreds of Palestinian civilians and destroyed much of the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camp.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />
The 1982 Israeli Judicial inquiry into the [[Sabra and Shatila massacre]] estimated that when fully mobilized, the Phalange had 5,000 fighters, of whom 2,000 were full-time.<ref name=":3">[[Yitzhak Kahan|Kahan, Yitzhak]], [[Aharon Barak|Barak, Aharon]], [[Yona Efrat|Efrat, Yona]] (1983) ''The Commission of Inquiry into events at the refugee camps in Beirut 1983 FINAL REPORT (Authorized translation)'' p.108 has "This report was signed on 7 February 1982." p7</ref> From the start of [[1982 Lebanon War|the invasion]], Israeli Chief of Staff [[Rafael Eitan]] told the Phalange not to engage in any fighting.<ref>Kahan. p.10</ref>
===1982–1988===
Despite the turmoil caused by the civil strife in Lebanon and the raging wars that devastated the country, President Gemayel was able to accomplish many achievements during his presidential mandate.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} One of his first achievements was to rebuild the State's institutions and to reorganize and resupply the Army in preparation for the struggle to recover sovereignty and provide security for Lebanon.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} The same efforts to liberate the country{{Editorializing|date=March 2024}} culminated in the Agreement on Security Arrangements of 17 May 1983, which was somewhat an affirmation of the Armistice Agreement of 1949 with Israel even though this agreement was never concluded because of the opposition of Syria and then Israel.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}
Amin Gemayel called for and chaired national dialogue conferences in Geneva and Lausanne and succeeded in creating a national accord and the formation of a fully representative government.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} He rebuilt the [[Lebanese University]] and laid its modern foundation, introduced many economic reforms, and started to rebuild Beirut's central district.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} The war was still raging and Lebanon's neighbors, mainly Syria and Israel, expanded their influence in Lebanon. On the other hand, the Kataeb Party suffered a great loss with the death of its founder, Cheikh Pierre Gemayel in 1984.
The [[Sabra and Shatila massacre]] was the slaughter of between 762 and 3,500 civilians, almost all Palestinians, by a Lebanese Christian militia in the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut, Lebanon from approximately 6:00 pm 16 September to 8:00 am 18 September 1982. The massacre was presented as retaliation for the assassination of the newly elected Lebanese president Bachir Gemayel, the leader of the Lebanese Kataeb Party. The Phalangist militia was led by the intelligence chief [[Elie Hobeika]]. Many of the victims were tortured before they were killed. Women were raped and some victims were skinned alive. Others had limbs chopped off with axes.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = LIT Verlag Münster| isbn = 978-3-643-80082-4| last1 = Austenfeld| first1 = Thomas| last2 = Daphinoff| first2 = Dimiter| last3 = Herlth| first3 = Jens| title = Terrorism and Narrative Practice| date = 2011 |pages=227–228}}</ref>
===1989–2000===
In 1990, the Lebanese War came to a close when Syrian forces maintained their grip over the entire country leading to fifteen years of occupation during which President Amin Gemayel was exiled to France and the Kataeb Party fell under Syrian influence. Organized institutions that could endanger Syrian rule in Lebanon were systematically muzzled. Christian parties paid the highest price for their resistance to Syrian hegemony and their leaders were either eliminated, exiled, or imprisoned. Kataeb's spirit was still strong between its members and sympathizers. This started to be visible in the late 1990s when Kataeb students participated actively in the student and intellectual resistance that started to be heard.
On September 15, 1992, at 9:15 AM, [[Boutros Khawand]] was heading to Kataeb headquarters in Beirut when his car, a red Opel, was intercepted by two BMW cars and one red van, 100m away from his home. Between eight and ten gunmen were in the attacking squad, they pulled him out of his car and forced him into the van.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/16/world/official-of-christian-party-is-kidnapped-in-east-beirut.html|title=Official of Christian Party Is Kidnapped in East Beirut|work=The New York Times |date=16 September 1992 }}</ref>
===2000–2010===
[[File:Protester at Pierre Amine Gemayel's funeral.jpg|thumb|252x252px|Protesters at Pierre Amine Gemayel's funeral]]
The revival of Lebanon and the Party: [[Amine Gemayel|Amin Gemayel]] returned to Lebanon in June 2000 and was welcomed by large crowds that filled the streets and squares of [[Bikfaya]]. Pierre Amin Gemayel was elected MP for Metn district, signalling the rebirth of the Kataeb Party. "Kataeb opposition" was structured and began its activities within the framework of the "[[Qornet Shehwan Gathering|Kornet Shahwan Coalition]]", and then through the Bristol Gathering, which formed a platform for the joint Christian-Muslim opposition.
Eventually, all this led to the Independence Uprising in February 2005 and on 14 March 2005 more than a million Lebanese filled the streets of central Beirut to demand Syrian withdrawal and the restoration of sovereignty. The Kataeb Party extensively participated in the [[Cedar Revolution]] and MP Pierre Gemayel played a significant role in shaping this uprising which led to Lebanon's second independence.
Syrian troops effectively left Lebanon on 26 April 2005. At the same time, the Kataeb Party reunited and retrieved its historical role. Pierre Amin Gemayel played a key role in reuniting the Party in 2006. Pierre Gemayel was assassinated on 21 November 2006, and in 2007, the Party was dealt another blow when MP [[Antoine Ghanem]] was assassinated as well. During the [[2009 Lebanese general election|2009 general elections]], under the leadership of [[Amine Gemayel]], they managed to receive 5 seats in parliament.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-06-16 |title=Lebanon news – NOW Lebanon -March14 – March 8 MPs |url=http://nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=97943 |access-date=2022-04-08 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616051352/http://nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=97943 |archive-date=16 June 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
=== 2020–present ===
In 2020, Kataeb Secretary-General [[Nazar Najarian]] was killed in the 2020 Beirut explosions on 4 August 2020, after [[2020 Beirut explosions|a series of explosions]] had occurred at the [[Port of Beirut]], sending debris across the city. He suffered head trauma and succumbed to his injuries.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Liz Sly |title=Scores dead and more than 3,000 injured as explosions rock Beirut, Health Ministry says |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/major-explosion-rocks-beirut/2020/08/04/53ff4dd6-d666-11ea-a788-2ce86ce81129_story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806220359/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/major-explosion-rocks-beirut/2020/08/04/53ff4dd6-d666-11ea-a788-2ce86ce81129_story.html |archive-date=6 August 2020 |access-date=5 August 2020 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lebanese Kataeb Party's Secretary-General Nazar Najarian killed in Beirut blast |url=https://en.armradio.am/2020/08/04/lebanese-kataeb-party-leader-nizar-najarian-killed-in-beirut-blast/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806215822/https://en.armradio.am/2020/08/04/lebanese-kataeb-party-leader-nizar-najarian-killed-in-beirut-blast/ |archive-date=6 August 2020 |access-date=5 August 2020 |work=Public Radio of Armenia |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author1=Ben Hubbard |author2=Maria Abi-Habib |date=4 August 2020 |title=Deadly Explosions Shatter Beirut, Lebanon |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/04/world/middleeast/beirut-explosion-blast.html |url-status=live |access-date=5 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804193448/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/04/world/middleeast/beirut-explosion-blast.html |archive-date=4 August 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Secretary-general of Lebanese Kataeb Party Najarian dies in Beirut blast |url=https://news.am/eng/news/595206.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201004143459/https://news.am/eng/news/595206.html |archive-date=4 October 2020 |access-date=5 August 2020 |website=news.am |language=en}}</ref> He was buried on 8 August 2020.<ref>{{cite web |date=8 August 2020 |title=تشييع نزار نجاريان واستقالة نواب الكتائب من المجلس (صور) |url=https://www.annahar.com/article/1252625-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%A8-%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%B9-%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%86%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%AC%D9%87-%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808133342/https://www.annahar.com/article/1252625-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%A8-%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%B9-%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%86%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%AC%D9%87-%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B1 |archive-date=8 August 2020 |access-date=8 August 2020 |language=Arabic}}</ref>
During the [[2022 Lebanese general election|Lebanese general elections]], candidates were announced on the 20 February 2022 under the campaign slogan ''Ma minsawim'' (ما منساوم ).<ref name="لقاء الماكينة الانتخابية الكتائبية">{{Citation |title=لقاء الماكينة الانتخابية الكتائبية | date=20 February 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aQnv8i9L1w |language=en |access-date=2022-02-22}}</ref> Kataeb leader [[Samy Gemayel]] insisted that the Kataeb party was the only one that has "faced the fact of surrendering to [[Hezbollah]]'s will, electing [[Michel Aoun]] as president and isolating [[Lebanon]] from its surroundings.<ref name="kataeb.org">{{Cite web |title=الجميّل في اللقاء العام لإطلاق الماكينة الانتخابية: ليكن تقييمكم على الأفعال في 15 أيار كي نبني بلدًا جديدًا ولنذهب بإيمان إلى الانتخابات وبمعنويات عالية وما منساوم |url=https://kataeb.org/الجميل-في-اللقاء-العام-لإطلاق-الماكينة-الانتخابية-ليكن-تقييمكم/2022/02/20/محليات/أخبار |access-date=2022-02-22 |website=Kataeb.org}}</ref> Samy Gemayel emphasized:
{{Blockquote|text=We, as the Kataeb party, have alone faced surrender to Hezbollah's will, isolating Lebanon from its surroundings, electing Michel Aoun as president, the electoral law that gave the majority to Hezbollah, and quotas and fictitious budgets such as taxes, power ships, and seaports.}}
On 2 April [[Nadim Gemayel]], a cousin of Samy, promoted his candidacy in a speech during a small event.<ref name="youtube.com">{{Citation |title=كلمة للنائب السابق نديم الجميل من أمام بيت الكتائب في منطقة الرميل | date=2 April 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Gl0Yt3ozs |language=en |access-date=2022-04-02}}</ref> Kataeb secured 4 seats for [[Salim Sayegh]] (3,477 votes), [[Nadim Gemayel]] (4,425 votes), [[Samy Gemayel|Sami Gemayel]] (10,466 votes), and [[Elias Hankash]] (6,148 votes). A close ally of the party, [[Jean Talouzian|Jean Talozian]], also managed to wain a seat with 4,043 votes in [[Beirut I]] with Nadim.<ref name="Here's The Full List Of How Many Seats Each Party Won In The 2022 Lebanon Elections"/>
In February 2025, Lebanese Prime Minister [[Nawaf Salam]] announced his government, which consists of 24 ministers; the Kataeb Party controls one portfolio: the Justice Ministry, headed by Adel Amin Nassar.<ref>{{cite web |title=One Day After U.S. Draws 'Red Line' Over Hizbullah Participation In Lebanese Government, Triggering Threats Against It And Its Representative, Lebanon Announces New Government That Includes Hizbullah, And U.S. Gives In And Welcomes It |url=https://www.memri.org/reports/one-day-after-us-draws-red-line-over-hizbullah-participation-lebanese-government-triggering |website=MEMRI |language=en}}</ref>
==War era and decline==
[[File:William Hawi, Chief of the Kataeb Security Council, and Pierre Gemayel.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Pierre Gemayel]] and [[William Hawi]], Chief of the [[Kataeb]] Security Council]]
Throughout the 1975 Civil War, the Phalange Party was the most important force within the Christian camp, and its militia carried out most of the fighting as part of the Lebanese Front, the mostly Christian rightist coalition.<ref name="Abraham, 1996 p. 195"/>
In April 1975, four persons, among them two men close to the Gemayel family, were killed during an attack on a church inauguration ceremony by unknown attackers in the Beirut suburb of [[Ain El Remmaneh]]. In retaliation Phalangist militias killed 28 passengers of a bus later that day, most of them Palestinian with some that were deemed to be armed and were coming back from a rally at camp [[Tel el-Zaatar]], since they suspected Palestinians to be behind the church attack. The [[Bus Massacre]] is commonly considered as the spark that set off the [[Lebanese Civil War]].<ref name="Khalaf, Samir 2002">Khalaf, Samir (2002): Civil and Uncivil Violence in Lebanon: A History of the Internationalization of Human Contact; New York: Columbia University Press; p. 228f</ref>
In the following days, the 8,000-strong party militia, the [[Kataeb Regulatory Forces]], together with its allies, the [[Tigers Militia (Lebanon)|Tigers militia]], [[Al-Tanzim]], [[Marada Brigade]], [[Guardians of the Cedars]], [[Lebanese Youth Movement]], [[Tyous Team of Commandos]] and other formations, was heavily engaged in street fights against the Palestinian militias and their allies in the anti-government secular [[Lebanese National Movement]].<ref>El-Kazen, ''The Breakdown of the State in Lebanon'' (2000), p. 303.</ref>
During the Lebanese Civil War, many predominantly Christian militias were formed that gained support from the north of Lebanon. These militias were staunchly right-wing, nationalist, and anti-Palestinian with a majority of their members being Maronite. The Kataeb party was the most powerful of these militias at the time of the Lebanese Civil War. The party later went on to help found the right-wing [[Lebanese Forces (militia)|Lebanese Forces militia]] in 1977 which played a large role in the Lebanese Civil War.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kataeb.org/index.asp?stay%3D1 |access-date=28 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611231436/http://www.kataeb.org/index.asp?stay=1 |archive-date=11 June 2009 |title=Lebanese Kataeb Official Portal }}</ref>
In September 1982, [[Bachir Gemayel]] was elected [[List of Presidents of Lebanon|President of Lebanon]] by the [[Parliament of Lebanon|National Assembly]]. He was assassinated less than a month later in an operation thought to have been arranged by Syrian intelligence and was succeeded by his brother, [[Amine Gemayel]]. Bachir was thought to have been radical in his approach and hinted at possible peace agreements with Israel while trying to expel all Palestinian refugees from Lebanon.<ref>[[Amine Gemayel]]</ref> In contrast, Amine was thought to have been much more moderate.
On 16 September 1982, [[Elie Hobeika]] led the massacre of between 762 and 3,500 Palestinian refugees in the [[Sabra and Shatila Massacre|Sabra and Shatila]] refugee camps, while the periphery of the camps was under the control of the [[Israeli Defense Forces]].<ref>[[William B. Quandt]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=-rmCPnSghbcC&pg=PA256 ''Peace Process: American Diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli Conflict Since 1967,''] University of California Press p.266</ref><ref>[[Yossi Alpher]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=eCxyBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA48 ''Periphery: Israel's Search for Middle East Allies,''] Rowman & Littlefield, 2015 p.48</ref><ref>[[Nathan Gonzalez]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=HypnAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA113 ''The Sunni-Shia Conflict: Understanding Sectarian Violence in the Middle East,''] Nortia Media Ltd, 2013 p.113.</ref>
After the death of Pierre Gemayel in 1984, his successors Elie Karamé and [[Amine Gemayel]] struggled to maintain influence over the actions of the [[Lebanese Army]], which became virtually independent as Muslim recruits deserted and rebelled against the mostly Christian officer ranks. The Kataeb party began to decline, not playing a major role for the remainder of the war.<ref name=":03"/>
==Syrian occupation==
The party, lacking direction, broke down into several rival factions. [[Georges Saadeh]] took control of the Party from 1986 until his death in 1998. He took a moderate position toward the Syrian presence. Mounir Hajj became the president of the party in 1999, followed by [[Karim Pakradouni]] in 2002. Amine Gemayel left Lebanon in 1988 after his mandate had ended, mainly to avoid a clash with [[Samir Geagea]]'s [[Lebanese Forces]] and avoid more intra-Christian bloodshed. He returned in 2000 to oppose the Syrian role in Lebanon and to back his son Pierre's parliamentary election campaign, which he won.
His sons Pierre and Samy, had returned in 1997 and had been working on reorganizing the popular base of the party. His return was not welcomed by the established leadership of the party who had become government puppets. To distinguish themselves from the official leadership, Gemayel's supporters started referring to themselves as "The Kataeb Base" or "The Kataeb Reform Movement". General consensus amongst Lebanese always recognized Gemayel as the legitimate Leader of the party, not because of lineage but because of most of the popular support.<ref>Gordon, ''The Gemayels'' (1988), pp. 52–55.</ref><ref>Menargues, ''Les Secrets de la guerre du Liban'' (2004), pp. 45–46.</ref>
==Cedar Revolution==
In March 2005 after the [[Rafik Hariri]] assassination, the Kataeb took part in an anti-Syrian presence demonstration, commonly known as the [[Cedar Revolution]]. It became a member of the [[March 14 Alliance]], along with the [[Future Movement]], [[Progressive Socialist Party]], [[Lebanese Forces]] and other minor parties. The Kataeb won 4 seats in the June 2005 elections, 3 representing the Gemayel Leadership (Pierre Gemayel, Solange Gemayel, and Antoine Ghanem) and 1 representing the official leadership of the Party. They formed one parliamentary bloc after a reconciliation that took place in 2005.
This reconciliation was marketed as a gesture of goodwill from [[Pierre Amine Gemayel]] who deemed it was time to turn the page and give those who were unfaithful to the party principles a second chance. Practically, it was a way for Pakradouni and his men to leave the Party with as little humiliation as possible since the reconciliation deal stipulated the resignation of the entire political bureau after 2 years. This reconciliation saw Amine come back to the Party as Supreme President of the Party while Pakradouni stayed on as President.
[[Samy Gemayel]], Amine's second son, had formed his own political ideas and identity at the time, much closer in principle and in a manner to those of his uncle Bachir. He was very opposed to Pakradouni and his Syrian ties and thus was not a fan of this reconciliation. This drew Samy away from the party and prompted him to create a Think-Tank/Research-Center on Federalism named Loubnanouna, "Our Lebanon".
==Siniora Government==
In July 2005, the party participated in the [[Lebanese government of July 2005|Fouad Siniora Government]], with [[Pierre Amine Gemayel]] as the minister of industry. Pierre played an important role in the reorganization and development of the party. His assassination in November 2006 was a major blow to the party. Syrian intelligence and "Fateh Al Islam" have been accused of the assassination. With 14 March Alliance forces, the party supports the Lebanese government against Hezbollah.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kataeb.org/|title=الكتائب اللبنانية – آخر الأخبار المحلية والعربية والدولية|website=Kataeb.org|access-date=28 March 2018}}</ref>
In September 2007 another Kataeb MP, [[Antoine Ghanem]] was assassinated in a car bombing. Solange Gemayel remained the party's only MP since Pierre Gemayel's seat was lost to the [[Free Patriotic Movement]] of [[Michel Aoun]] in a special election in August 2007.
In 2007, [[Samy Gemayel]] and most of his Loubnanouna companions rejoined the Kataeb, prompting a renaissance in the party.
==2009 elections==
In the 2009 [[2009 Lebanese general election|parliamentary elections]] the Kataeb Party managed to win 5 seats. 1 in the Metn Caza, 1 in the Beirut-1 Caza, 1 in Zahle, 1 in the Aley Caza and another in the Tripoli Caza.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elections 09 – Lebanon Elections 2009 |url=http://www.elections.gov.lb/Parliamentary/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100625143740/http://www.elections.gov.lb/Parliamentary/ |archive-date=2010-06-25 |access-date=2010-06-04}}</ref> The victories in Beirut-1 and Zahle as well as not allowing the opposition's list to win fully in Metn were major upsets to the General Aoun's FPM who is an ally of Iranian-backed [[Hezbollah]], although the opposition's list was not 100% complete, leaving one Maronite seat vacant by purpose for the candidate of the Gemayel family.
These victories enabled Samy Gemayel, Nadim Gemayel (son of the assassinated President [[Bachir Gemayel]]), Elie Marouni, Fady el-Haber, and Samer Saade to join the Parliament.
In the first Government of PM [[Saad Hariri]], the Kataeb were assigned the Social Affairs portfolio.
==March 14 and the breakup==
Disagreements between Kataeb and March 14 deepened in 2016 when the Lebanese Forces endorsed March 8 candidate Michel Aoun for presidency.
Kataeb left the government and, thus, the March 14 alliance in June 2016.<ref name = "opposition">{{Cite web|date=2021-12-06| title= #2022: Reorganizing and Reforming|url=https://en.kataeb.org/articles/local-2021-12-06-2022-reorganizing-and-reforming|website=en.kataeb.org|language=en}}</ref>
==The Kataeb Party today==
Since the end of Syria's occupation of Lebanon in 2005, the Kataeb Party has been attracted once again to new generations and has regained its role as one of the major political actors in Lebanon.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} The Party has a large network in Lebanon and abroad and one cannot find a major city or town without a Kataeb presence.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}
The Party has an active parliamentary group and has MPs elected in nearly all major Christian constituencies such as Beirut, Metn, Zahlé, Aley, and the North. Kataeb Ministers have been particularly active in governments led by the 14 March coalition, namely in the Ministries of Industry, Social Affairs, and Tourism.
The Kataeb Party calls for an objective assessment of the Lebanese political system's limitations in order to guarantee the required political stability, security, and economic prosperity. The series of political crises that Lebanon witnessed since its first independence in 1943 highlighted the shortcomings of the consensual and unitary system and its inadequacy with pluralistic countries such as Lebanon.
During the 2009 parliamentary elections that saw the victory of the Party and its allies, Kataeb presented a comprehensive program under the title of "Pact of Stability". The vision of the Party revolves around the following main ideas:
* Adopting decentralization in order to be closer to the citizens and guarantee basic rights and freedoms, in order to manage constructively Lebanon's cultural pluralism and to ensure development in all parts of the Lebanese territory.
* Proclaiming the [[Neutrality (international relations)|neutrality]] of Lebanon towards all armed conflicts in the region in order to protect Lebanon from external meddling in its affairs, except for the [[Arab–Israeli conflict|Arab-Israeli conflict]].
* Safeguarding the secular State in Lebanon and completing its legal framework to guarantee the freedom of the individual and the respect of his rights and integrity.
* Ending the military status of several Lebanese and non-Lebanese groups such as [[Hezbollah]], Palestinian armed militias, and other Islamist groups, and calling for their immediate disarmament.
* Committing to all relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, primarily [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559|1559]] (2004), [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1680|1680]] (2006), [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701|1701]] (2006) and [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1737|1757]] (2007).
* Rejecting any form of permanent settlement of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon at the expense of their right of return.
* Reforming the Lebanese Administration and adopting modern economic policies to stimulate the economy, ensure prosperity, and therefore stop emigration.
The Party is strongly concerned about the presence of Palestinian refugees with their regional and domestic ramifications. Notwithstanding that the Kataeb has recently attempted to improve the inhumane living conditions of refugees through Parliament, it remains concerned about latent or gradual attempts to force their permanent settlement in Lebanon.
On 11 March 2018, the Kataeb Party unveiled its 131-point platform, in which they expressed some progressive values such as decriminalizing [[homosexuality]], abolishing [[capital punishment]], removing [[Censorship|censorship laws]], and adopting a 30% [[Women in government#Quotas|female quota system]] in the parliament.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kataeb.org/local/2018/03/11/kataeb-party-unveils-131-point-platform|title=Kataeb Party Unveils 131-Point Platform|website=Kataeb.org|access-date=19 May 2018}}</ref>
The secretary-general of the party, [[Nazar Najarian]], was killed in the [[2020 Port of Beirut explosions]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/lebanon-beirut-explosion-live-updates-dle-intl/index.html|title=Beirut explosion rocks Lebanon's capital city: Live updates|first=Tara John,Melissa Macaya,Mike Hayes,Veronica Rocha,Meg Wagner,Joshua Berlinger,Adam Renton,Zamira Rahim,Ed|last=Upright|date=4 August 2020|website=CNN}}</ref>
== 2022 elections ==
Candidates were announced on 20 February 2022 under the campaign slogan ''Ma minsawim'' (ما منساوم).<ref name="لقاء الماكينة الانتخابية الكتائبية"/> Kataeb leader [[Samy Gemayel]] insisted that the Kataeb party was the only one that has faced the fact of surrendering to [[Hezbollah]]'s will, electing [[Michel Aoun]] as president and isolating [[Lebanon]] from its surroundings.<ref name="kataeb.org"/> Samy Gemayel emphasized:{{Blockquote|text=We, as the Kataeb party, have alone faced surrendering to Hezbollah's will, isolating Lebanon from its surroundings, electing Michel Aoun as president, the electoral law that gave the majority to Hezbollah, and quotas and fictitious budgets such as taxes, power ships, and seaports.}}On 2 April [[Nadim Gemayel]], cousin of Samy, promoted his candidacy in a speech during a small event.<ref name="youtube.com"/>
Kataeb secured 4 seats for [[Salim Sayegh]] (3,477 votes), [[Nadim Gemayel]] (4,425 votes), [[Sami Gemayel]] (10,466 votes), and [[Elias Hankash]] (6,148 votes).<ref name="Here's The Full List Of How Many Seats Each Party Won In The 2022 Lebanon Elections">{{cite news |date=17 May 2022 |title=Here's The Full List Of How Many Seats Each Party Won In The 2022 Lebanon Elections |work=961 |publisher=961 |agency=961News |url=https://www.the961.com/list-of-seats-each-party-won-2022-lebanon-elections}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! colspan="2" |Name
!District
!Sect
|-
|[[File:Saad & Trad Unveils the Jaguar F-TYPE in Lebanon (8891702463) (cropped Nadim Gemayel).jpg|frameless|125x125px]]
|[[Nadim Bachir Gemayel]]
|Beirut 1
|Maronite
|-
|[[File:Samy Gemayel SW.jpg|frameless|129x129px]]
|[[Sami Gemayel|Sami Amin Gemayel]]
|Mount Lebanon 2 – [[Metn]]
|Maronite
|-
|[[File:Elias Hankach, MTV Lebanon - Oct 3, 2019.jpg|frameless|121x121px]]
|[[Elias Hankash|Elias Rakif Hankash]]
|Mount Lebanon 2 – [[Metn]]
|Maronite
|-
|[[File:Political Assembly, 14-15 November 2016 Salim Sayegh.jpg|frameless|144x144px]]
|[[Salim Sayegh|Salim Boutros Sayegh]]
|Mount Lebanon 1 – [[Kesserwan]]
|Maronite
|}
== Presidents of the Party ==
* [[Pierre Gemayel]] (1936–1984)
* [[Elie Karameh]] (1984–1986)
* [[Georges Saadeh]] (1986–1998)
* [[Mounir El Hajj]] (1998–2001)
* [[Karim Pakradouni]] (2001–2007)
* [[Amine Gemayel]] (2007–2015)
* [[Samy Gemayel]] (2015–present)
==Electoral performance==
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
! Election
! Leader
! Vote %
! Seats
! Government
|-
|[[1947 Lebanese general election|1947]]
|[[Pierre Gemayel]]
|
|{{Composition bar|0|55|hex=#009A00}}
|
|-
|[[1951 Lebanese general election|1951]]
|[[Pierre Gemayel]]
|
|{{Composition bar|3|77|hex=#009A00}}
|
|-
|[[1953 Lebanese general election|1953]]
|[[Pierre Gemayel]]
|
|{{Composition bar|1|44|hex=#009A00}}
|
|-
|[[1957 Lebanese general election|1957]]
|[[Pierre Gemayel]]
|
|{{Composition bar|2|66|hex=#009A00}}
|
|-
|[[1960 Lebanese general election|1960]]
|[[Pierre Gemayel]]
|
|{{Composition bar|6|99|hex=#009A00}}
|
|-
|[[1964 Lebanese general election|1964]]
|[[Pierre Gemayel]]
|
|{{Composition bar|4|99|hex=#009A00}}
|
|-
|[[1968 Lebanese general election|1968]]
|[[Pierre Gemayel]]
|
|{{Composition bar|9|99|hex=#009A00}}
|
|-
|[[1972 Lebanese general election|1972]]
|[[Pierre Gemayel]]
|
|{{Composition bar|7|100|hex=#009A00}}
|{{yes2|Saeb Salam-led Government}}
|-
|[[1992 Lebanese general election|1992]]
|[[Georges Saadeh]]
|
|{{Composition bar|0|128|hex=#009A00}}
|{{yes2|Rafic Hariri-led Unity Government}}
|-
|[[1996 Lebanese general election|1996]]
|[[Georges Saadeh]]
|
|{{Composition bar|0|128|hex=#009A00}}
|{{yes2|Rafic Hariri-led Unity Government}}
|-
|[[2000 Lebanese general election|2000]]
|[[Mounir El Hajj]]
|
|{{Composition bar|3|128|hex=#009A00}}
|{{yes2|Rafic Hariri-led Unity Government}}
|-
|[[2005 Lebanese general election|2005]]
|[[Karim Pakradouni]]
|1.56%
|{{Composition bar|3|128|hex=#009A00}}
|{{yes2|[[Lebanese government of July 2005|March 14 Alliance-led Unity Government]]}}
|-
|[[2009 Lebanese general election|2009]]
|[[Amine Gemayel]] for [[Matn District|Metn]]
|
|{{Composition bar|5|128|hex=#009A00}}
|{{yes2|[[Lebanese government of November 2009|March 14 Alliance-led Unity Government]]}}
|-
|[[2018 Lebanese general election|2018]]
|[[Samy Gemayel]] for [[Matn District|Metn]]
|1.82%
|{{Composition bar|3|128|hex=#009A00}}
|{{no2|[[Lebanese government of January 2019|FPM-led Unity Government]]}}
|-
|[[2022 Lebanese general election|2022]]
|[[Samy Gemayel]] for [[Matn District|Metn]]
|1.86%
|{{Composition bar|4|128|hex=#009A00}}
|TBD
|}
==See also==
{{Portal|Lebanon|Politics|Iran}}
* [[Cedar Revolution]]
* [[Kataeb Regulatory Forces]]
* [[Lebanese Forces (militia)]]
* [[Najjadeh Party]]
* [[Political parties in Lebanon]]
* [[Qaa massacre]]
* [[Tyous Team of Commandos]]
* [[William Hawi]]
== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=33em}}
== General references ==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* Antoine J. Abraham, ''The Lebanon war'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996. {{ISBN|0275953890}}
* Alain Menargues, ''Les Secrets de la guerre du Liban: Du coup d'état de Béchir Gémayel aux massacres des camps palestiniens'', Albin Michel, Paris 2004. {{ISBN|978-2226121271}} (in [[French language|French]])
* Barry Rubin (editor), ''Lebanon: Liberation, Conflict, and Crisis'', Middle East in Focus, Palgrave Macmillan, London 2009. {{ISBN|978-1349373260}} – [https://books.google.com/books?id=9V_JAAAAQBAJ&dq=maronite+league&pg=PA40 Lebanon: Liberation, Conflict, and Crisis]
* Denise Ammoun, ''Histoire du Liban contemporain: Tome 2, 1943–1990'', Fayard, Paris 2005. {{ISBN|978-2-213-61521-9}} (in [[French language|French]])
* [[Edgar O'Ballance]], ''Civil War in Lebanon, 1975–92'', Palgrave Macmillan, London 1998. {{ISBN|0333729757}}
* Farid El-Khazen, ''The Breakdown of the State in Lebanon 1967–1976'', I.B. Tauris, London 2000. {{ISBN|0674081056}}
* Fawwaz Traboulsi, ''Identités et solidarités croisées dans les conflits du Liban contemporain'', Thèse de Doctorat d'Histoire – 1993, Université de Paris VIII, 2007. (in [[French language|French]])
* Hazem Saghieh, ''Ta'rib al-Kata'eb al-Lubnaniyya: al-Hizb, al-sulta, al-khawf'', Beirut: Dar al-Jadid, 1991. (in [[Arabic]])
* [[Itamar Rabinovich]], ''The war for Lebanon, 1970-1985'', Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London 1989 (revised edition). {{ISBN|978-0-8014-9313-3}}, 0-8014-9313-7 – [https://books.google.com/books?id=Af-tDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA83 The War for Lebanon, 1970-1983]
* Jean Sarkis, ''Histoire de la guerre du Liban'', Presses Universitaires de France – PUF, Paris 1993. {{ISBN|978-2-13-045801-2}} (in [[French language|French]]).
* Jonathan Randall, ''The Tragedy of Lebanon: Christian Warlords, Israeli Adventurers, and American Bunglers'', Just World Books, Charlottesville, Virginia 2012. {{ISBN|978-1935982166}}
* Matthew S. Gordon, ''The Gemayels'' (World Leaders Past & Present), Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. {{ISBN|978-1-55546-834-7}}
* Michael Johnson, ''All honourable men: the social origins of war in Lebanon'', Centre for Lebanese Studies, Oxford and London, Oxford University and I.B. Tauris, 2001. {{ISBN|978-1860647154}}, 1860647154
* Michael Maschek, ''Myrtom House Building – un Quartier de Beyrouth en Guerre Civile (Recit)'', Éditions L'Harmattan, Paris 2018. {{ISBN|978-2343160016}} (in [[French language|French]])
* Paul Jureidini, R. D. McLaurin, and James Price, ''Military operations in selected Lebanese built-up areas, 1975–1978'', Aberdeen, MD: U.S. Army Human Engineering Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Technical Memorandum 11-79, June 1979.
* Rex Brynen, ''Sanctuary and Survival: the PLO in Lebanon'', Boulder: Westview Press, Oxford 1990. {{ISBN|0861871235}} – [https://prrn.mcgill.ca/research/papers/brynen2.htm Sanctuary and Survival: The PLO in Lebanon]
* [[Robert Fisk]], ''Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War'', London: Oxford University Press (3rd ed. 2001). {{ISBN|0-19-280130-9}}
* Samir Kassir, ''La Guerre du Liban: De la dissension nationale au conflit régional'', Éditions Karthala/CERMOC, Paris 1994. {{ISBN|978-2865374991}} (in [[French language|French]])
* Thomas Collelo (ed.), ''Lebanon: a country study'', Library of Congress, Federal Research Division, Headquarters, Department of the Army (DA Pam 550-24), Washington D.C., December 1987 (Third edition 1989). – [https://cdn.loc.gov/master/frd/frdcstdy/le/lebanoncountryst00coll/lebanoncountryst00coll.pdf]
{{refend}}
===Further reading===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* Frank Stoakes, ''The Super Vigilantes: the Lebanese Kata'eb Party as Builder, Surrogate, and Defender of the State'', ''Middle East Studies'' 11, 3 (October 1975): 215236.
* John P. Entelis, ''Pluralism and party transformation in Lebanon: Al-Kata'ib, 1936–1970'', E. J. Brill, Leiden 1974. {{ISBN|978-9004039117}}
* Leila Haoui Zod, ''William Haoui, temoin et martyr'', Mémoire DEA, Faculté d'Histoire, Université Saint Esprit, Kaslik, Liban 2004. (in [[French language|French]])
* Marie-Christine Aulas, ''The Socio-Ideological Development of the Maronite Community: The Emergence of the Phalanges and Lebanese Forces'', ''Arab Studies Quarterly'' 7, 4 (Fall 1985): pp. 1–27.
{{refend}}
==External links==
* [http://www.kataeb.org/ Official website of the Kataeb party (in Arabic)]
* [http://www.kataebonline.org/ Official website of The Lebanese Phalanges – Kataeb]
{{Lebanese political parties}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Kataeb Party]]
[[Category:1936 establishments in Mandatory Syria]]
[[Category:Anti-communist parties]]
[[Category:Centre-right parties in Asia]]
[[Category:Christian democratic parties in Asia]]
[[Category:Christian nationalism]]
[[Category:Christian political parties in Lebanon]]
[[Category:Conservative parties in Lebanon]]
[[Category:Factions in the Lebanese Civil War]]
[[Category:Falangist parties]]
[[Category:Lebanese Front]]
[[Category:Lebanese nationalist parties]]
[[Category:March 14 Alliance]]
[[Category:National conservative parties]]
[[Category:Phoenicianism]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1936]]
[[Category:Political parties in Lebanon]]
[[Category:Right-wing parties]]
[[Category:Socially conservative parties]]
[[Category:Far-right politics in Lebanon]]
| |||