Lebanese Sunni MP Fouad Makhzoumi: Lebanon can sign Abraham Accords once Hezbollah is disarmed

Lebanon can join the Abraham Accords once Hezbollah is disarmed and can no longer use the country as a “launching pad” for attacks against Israel, Lebanese Sunni MP Fouad Makhzoumi told Middle East 24 last week.

Makhzoumi, who has previously urged the Lebanese military to demonstrate its willingness to confront Hezbollah’s arms trafficking by establishing a checkpoint in Beirut’s Dahieh neighborhood, said diplomatic relations and trade with Israel would be possible once “our side, as Lebanese, disarms the militias.”

As it stands, he said, Lebanon has a border that is outside the state’s control, allowing arms to be smuggled into and out of the country.

“I don't see any reason why we cannot sign peace with Israel,” Makhzoumi said, adding that it was possible for Lebanon to “achieve” membership in the Abraham Accords.

The CEO and executive chairman of Future Pipe Industries, a major international conglomerate, and the founder and leader of Lebanon’s National Dialogue Party, he framed Lebanon’s economic recovery and future growth as depending on the state’s ability to tackle corruption within the judicial system and dismantle Hezbollah’s “parallel state.”

Lebanon's central bank to conduct audit of transactions

Lebanon scored 23 out of 100 on Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, ranking 153 out of 182 countries.

Makhzoumi’s comments also came the same week that Lebanon’s central bank announced that France-based consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal would conduct an audit of transactions dating from October 1, 2019, through December 31, 2023.

For Makhzoumi, restoring investor confidence requires more than financial reforms. He argued that capital will not flow into Lebanon until there is a regulatory framework that is fairly applied to every investor, one military force representing the country and one law applied equally to all.

Achieving those conditions, he said, requires Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah, “make sure that there is no opportunity for somebody to take me to a war under ideological reasons,” establish a strong banking system that complies with international regulations, and “have peace with Israel.”

Such a shift could also open the door to greater investment from Lebanon’s regional partners. Notably, the United Arab Emirates, a signatory to the Abraham Accords, has become a major investor in Lebanon. UAE Foreign Trade Minister Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi led a delegation of more than 80 prominent figures to Lebanon last month, where the two countries signed an intergovernmental memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening bilateral relations.

Regional analysts who spoke with The Jerusalem Post suggested that increased UAE investment could help Beirut distance itself from Iran and Hezbollah.

Makhzoumi said he is already in discussions with individuals interested in investing in southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah has created economic and social dependency by filling gaps in employment, healthcare and education.

Makhzoumi attempts to bring Lebanon's wealthy diaspora home

New investment, he argued, could encourage members of Lebanon’s wealthy diaspora to return.

“I myself operate in 50 countries, and wherever you go in the world, you find a Lebanese that has been successful, whether in a big corporation, or in a state, or in an advisory role,” he said. “So I am confident that the Lebanese will be willing to come and to build their country, but give me a state, give me a place that I can afford to bring my children back, and to make sure that they can live happily under the law, and not to be threatened by Hezbollah or by any other militia.”

The lack of economic and political stability has driven many young Lebanese to seek opportunities abroad, Makhzoumi said. Many leave the country after graduating because they cannot envision a future in a country where assassinations occur, the threat of war remains, and Hezbollah can threaten their security.

That emigration has accelerated amid Lebanon’s prolonged economic crisis, which began in 2019. According to figures published by the American University of Beirut, emigration increased by 450% in 2021 and 2022, with around 79,134 Lebanese citizens leaving the country in 2021 alone. The trend left a giant gap in numerous industries, especially in the healthcare sector.