Exclusive: Resistance key to building state, Georges Abdallah says
7 Min Read
Freed after 41 years, Georges Abdallah says the resistance must lead Lebanon’s nation-building and defend Palestine against Israeli genocide.
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Freed Lebanese freedom fighter Georges Abdallah during an interview on Al Mayadeen, which aired on Sunday, August 3, 2025 (Al Mayadeen screengrab)
In his first interview since regaining freedom after 41 years of incarceration, Lebanese resistance fighter Georges Abdallah spoke to Al Mayadeen from his hometown of Qobayat, Lebanon, reflecting on his decades in prison, the unwavering support of his family, and his enduring revolutionary convictions.
Abdallah, who was forcibly freed after relentless international mobilization, described the growing solidarity campaign for his release as part of the broader movement on the ground against the genocide unfolding in Gaza. “My imprisonment became more costly for French national security than my release,” he explained.
In an interview for #AlMayadeen, freed Lebanese revolutionary #GeorgesAbdallah reflects on the overwhelming and heartfelt welcome he received upon his return, expressing surprise at the deep sense of unity and authenticity exhibited by the #Lebanese people.#Lebanon… pic.twitter.com/ZLyDOVVjgK
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 3, 2025
A family of resistance, and a home that remained faithful
“My family has a culture of struggle,” Abdallah said. “They endured the pain of my imprisonment with simplicity and strength. I found them exactly as I remembered, an example of loyalty.”
He added that his return was met with a warmth that exceeded all expectations. “The welcome I received confirmed to me, even more than I had imagined, that our people possess an authenticity that can only lead to victory.” He was also struck by what he called an unexpected reality: “I found Lebanon united, more than I had anticipated. It was strong, welcoming, and resilient.”
In an interview for #AlMayadeen, freed Lebanese revolutionary #GeorgesAbdallah reflects on the overwhelming and heartfelt welcome he received upon his return, expressing surprise at the deep sense of unity and authenticity exhibited by the #Lebanese people.#Lebanon… pic.twitter.com/ZLyDOVVjgK
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 3, 2025
Abdallah on the charges and the legitimacy of armed resistance
Asked about the accusations that led to his prolonged imprisonment in France, Abdallah said he was charged with being responsible for the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions operating in Europe. But the only charge he acknowledged was defending the legitimacy of resistance operations.
“It is the right of any Lebanese to do whatever is necessary to confront the enemy wherever it exists. That is a legitimate right,” he said. “I told them in court: my people did not task me with any of the actions you allege. But I am honored to defend the legitimacy of these operations, be it yesterday, today, or tomorrow.”
Abdallah was tried before a special terrorism court with no jury, despite the fact that no terrorism charges were ever filed. He noted that the initial conviction was related only to passport issues, prior to his transfer to the special court.
In an interview for #AlMayadeen, freed Lebanese revolutionary #GeorgesAbdallah reflects on the overwhelming and heartfelt welcome he received upon his return, expressing surprise at the deep sense of unity and authenticity exhibited by the #Lebanese people.#Lebanon… pic.twitter.com/ZLyDOVVjgK
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 3, 2025
American interference and political imprisonment
“I served the sentence after which I should have been released,” Abdallah recounted. “But at the last moment, an American representative intervened.” In 1984, the US State Department instructed its ambassador to file a legal objection directly, which prevented Abdallah’s deportation and led to his transfer to a special court that sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Between 2002 and 2003, when a French court ordered his release, the legal process for conditional freedom was altered under US pressure.
“They reactivated an appeals court dating back to the Nazi occupation of France,” Abdallah said. “Since then, the presiding judge has been linked directly to the interior ministry, and rulings pass through him.”
In 2012, a court again approved his release, but it was blocked by the then-Minister of Interior. Abdallah revealed that then-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent a formal letter insisting that he remain imprisoned: “She said the court’s ruling doesn’t matter. I must remain in prison. And so I did.”
In an interview for #AlMayadeen, freed Lebanese revolutionary #GeorgesAbdallah reflects on the overwhelming and heartfelt welcome he received upon his return, expressing surprise at the deep sense of unity and authenticity exhibited by the #Lebanese people.#Lebanon… pic.twitter.com/ZLyDOVVjgK
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 3, 2025
Even when the French Minister of Justice attempted to intervene, the president instructed her to stay out of it. The ruling was overturned, and the case restarted from the beginning.
“The masses of the resistance are the ones most invested in, and capable of, imposing the creation of a state with a national vision and a fully armed army that can defend the country’s land, water, skies, and the dignity of its people,” he said.
Abdallah underlined that no one in Lebanon, especially those who sacrificed their leaders as martyrs, desires to bear arms for its own sake. Rather, “all stand behind the effort to build an army that protects everyone.”
When resistance and the army unite
Calling for arming the Lebanese Army, Abdallah stressed that once that is accomplished, “not a single fighter will hesitate to stand behind it.”
He argued that Lebanon is fully capable of building a sovereign state and an army that does not need foreign guardians to protect so-called minorities. “Our army, our people, and our masses can rise to the challenge,” he said. “We can build a state that preserves the dignity of its citizens.”
Responding to both internal and international demands for the disarmament of the resistance, Abdallah dismissed such calls as “domestic propaganda aimed at distortion and distraction.” He insisted that the resistance’s primary domestic mission is to stand in the streets to ensure the Lebanese Army becomes a strong, proud institution capable of defending the nation.
“No Lebanese wants to see a humiliated army,” he declared. “Everyone stands behind an army that protects our borders and our dignity.”
Syria as a warning, unity as a defense
Abdallah warned of the regional dangers facing Lebanon, particularly looking northward toward Syria. “Look at what is happening in Syria and look at the national positions. No one with an ounce of reason would accept that we become sectarian fragments manipulated by Netanyahu or anyone else,” he said.
He reiterated that Lebanon can and must build a unified state that protects its people, and that the resistance, having sacrificed its finest leaders, could not seek anything less.
Asked whether he places his hopes on popular movements in Lebanon and across the Arab world in light of the war on Gaza, Abdallah replied that this is not just a hope, but a responsibility.
“We must strive, not just bet, on moving the Arab street. This is a central mission in the name of the resistance’s steadfastness in Gaza and the West Bank,” he said.
A political project? “I’m a simple fighter”
When asked whether he has a political project of his own following his release, Abdallah said: “Georges Abdallah is a simple fighter from among the ranks of our people.”
He explained that he will meet with political and popular forces in Lebanon to see how he can best serve the country. “I will listen, observe, and see firsthand what I previously could only perceive abstractly from behind bars,” he said.
“I will speak with anyone who finds time to meet me and hear from them where they believe I can contribute, to the national project, to building the state, to building the army, to confronting the Zionist enemy, and to protecting our society.”
Abdallah concluded his interview by thanking Al Mayadeen, stating: “Let Al Mayadeen remain the voice of the fighters of this people, the voice of its masses, and the voice of its unified state.”
Who is Georges Abdallah?
Abdallah, a former member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), has so far served 41 years in prison, which makes him the longest-held prisoner in Europe.
He founded the Marxist-Leninist Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions (LARF), which claimed responsibility for four operations in France during the 1980s.
The Lebanese revolutionary was accused of taking part in the assassination of US military attache Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov in 1982 and was sentenced on these accusations.
Abdallah never responded to the list of accusations and considered that the French judicial system was "despicably" taking the resistance action out of context.
At his trial for the alleged killing of the diplomats, Abdallah was handed a life sentence, significantly harsher than the 10 years sought by prosecutors. His lawyer, Jacques Verges, called the sentence a "declaration of war."
Abdallah maintains that he is a fighter advocating for Palestinian rights, not a criminal.
