House Speaker Nabih Berri adjourned the legislative session at noon today, to be resumed at 6:00 PM, to continue examining and approving draft laws and proposals listed on the agenda. Among the most prominent laws approved by parliament today: -Extending the term of the president of the Lebanese University for a period of 6 months until the formation of the university council, while allowing him to run for a second term once in accordance with established rules. -Approving the proposal for a law aimed at amending articles in Law No. 305 dated 4/3/2001, establishing a mandatory syndicate for physical therapists in Lebanon. -Approving the proposal for a law aimed at amending item (1) of paragraph six of the Social Security Law issued on September 26, 1963. -Approving the proposal for a law aimed at regulating the Lebanese Red Cross. -Approving the proposal for a law aimed at using and protecting the emblem of the Lebanese Red Cross. Sharp Altercation The parliament session witnessed a sharp altercation during the discussion of the item related to an amendment to the National Defense Law allowing military personnel to practice the teaching profession. The incident began when MP Sami Gemayel commented on the discussion by saying, "This passed in the committee," referring to the draft law which the head of the Defense Committee, MP Jihad al-Samad, considered not to have passed in the committee. Al-Samad responded to him angrily: "You need to respect yourself when you speak to me, you are a member of the Defense Committee and you haven't attended even once." The verbal sparring escalated, with Gemayel saying, "I don't lower my level to this level," to which al-Samad replied, "Your level is much lower... You are a lowlife." MP Elias Hankach also intervened, telling al-Samad, "Flex your muscle." At that point, House Speaker Nabih Berri intervened, demanding an end to the interruptions, saying, "Stop interrupting." Then Gemayel commented, saying, "If all the talk that happened between the Minister of Defense, Paula Yacoubian, the Minister of Education, and the MPs involved you asking for an apology, I don't know what the talk that just happened requires." At the end of the discussion, the draft law was approved by a show of hands. Gasoline Following circulated news about the cabinet's intention to impose an increase on a tank of gasoline in Lebanon, Minister of Information Paul Morcos denied these rumors, affirming that "what is being circulated about a cabinet decision to impose an increase on gasoline that will be announced within hours is completely baseless news." Referring to the published news about a cabinet decision to increase gasoline by 15% and the Minister of Information's denial, Minister of Finance Yassine Jaber confirmed that if "the 3 cents on a tank of gasoline is meant, it results from the application of the waste law issued by parliament, which is a law that must be applied," pointing out that "talk about a cabinet decision to impose 15% is baseless." Fadlallah Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Hassan Fadlallah said in a statement from parliament: "We pledged to ourselves throughout the past period not to enter into an altercation with the President of the Republic, but in the face of his repeated accusations against our people, and his insistence on turning into a political party that consecrates the ongoing division among the Lebanese, instead of being the president who is a symbol of the unity of the homeland as the constitution stipulates, and turning the Baabda Palace into a partisan platform for parties known in their history and orientations, the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc deems it important to confirm the following: -The election of the president by the national duo was based on an honorable commitment to preserve the right of the resistance for the Lebanese, and to implement the agreement of November 27, and to compel the Zionist enemy to this implementation starting with a complete cessation of hostile acts, a full withdrawal from our Lebanese land to beyond the international borders drawn between Lebanon and occupied Palestine, the return of our displaced people to their villages, the release of prisoners, and reconstruction, on the condition that the issue of the resistance's weapons is approached internally after the enemy's withdrawal in light of national consensuses. The phrase 'We will not disagree with you... We will not disagree with you' was repeatedly stated by the president within the framework of his aforementioned commitment, and the resistance did its part in facilitating the mission of our national army south of the Litani, and in return the authority did not fulfill its commitments regarding defending Lebanon and protecting its people, but rather our blood continued to bleed and our homes were destroyed for 15 months. In all meetings with the President of the Republic during this period, we heard only one demand, which is handing over heavy missiles to try his hand with the United States, because what worries Israel is this type of weapon, and there is no objection to the resistance keeping the rest of its weapons and no one will snatch them from its hand. -Despite our direct meetings or through the president's advisor and our tireless attempts to reach national approaches that enhance the logic of the state, contribute to strengthening its role, stop the aggression, and protect our people, the government was taking unjust, void, and unchartered decisions against the resistance and its environment. At the same time, the first presidency did not hesitate to send negative messages by targeting the fraternal and historical relationship between Lebanon and the Islamic Republic, starting with halting Iranian civil aviation, whose flights benefit thousands of Lebanese visitors, all the way to the devious and sectarian decision against the Iranian ambassador in a disgraceful precedent unprecedented in the diplomatic corps. And with every review with the president, we hear from him that these decisions were taken under pressure and will have no practical executive effect, and they are an attempt hopefully to be understood as a positive message to the US administration. -Following the Israeli aggression on March 2, the President of the Republic, assisted by the Prime Minister, rushed to issue the criminal decision against the nation and the south by criminalizing the resistant action against the Zionist occupiers, a decision that served the enemy greatly as it exercises its brutal aggression against our country, and was intended to drag the country into internal clash. In response, we insisted on not being dragged into the authority's scheme to cause this clash, out of keenness for our country, and we worked to calm the anger of our people and the families of its martyrs, a people always present to defend its legitimate rights. -Our attempts with the President of the Republic through his advisor and others did not stop in order to curb the dangerous slide of the term so that it does not lose what remains of its inclusive national role, and with every purposeful and serious meeting attempt, he aborted it with escalating and treason-charging positions against our people and offending their immense sacrifices. We used to overlook these deliberate offenses out of keenness for our country and the image of this term, and the last attempt from our part was a few days before the ill-fated agreement, and we showed all keenness to cooperate and be positive on the basis of preserving sovereignty and not squandering rights, to rescue the term and the country from the clutches of the evils of wrong bets on the outside, and so that Lebanon does not pay the price for this authority reaching power in exchange for complete surrender before the enemy entity. However, all those meetings, dialogues, and positive messages were met with deliberate procrastination within the framework of buying time awaiting the poorly directed drama of an agreement that stunned the enemy with the free gains it obtained that it was unable to reap throughout its wars against Lebanon and Arab countries." He added: "The opposition of the ill-fated agreement by the majority of the Lebanese is a national opposition outside well-known political and sectarian alignments, and attempts to polish this agreement will not succeed as its texts are clear, ending Lebanon's existence as an independent state and legalizing the occupation and its criminal practices, replacing withdrawal with experimental zones, subjecting our national army to tests conducted by the enemy army, preventing the return of the displaced and reconstruction, and making this authority a partner in every drop of blood it sheds or house it demolishes. It is an agreement that is unviable and the Zionists will not be able to enforce its implementation, and our people will overthrow its effects on the ground." He considered that "ignoring the national political and popular stance rejecting the agreement, and mortgaging the fate of the term to American conditions, will lead to placing Lebanon under Israeli occupation and full American tutelage, undermining state sovereignty, and increasing the gap between the term and the majority of the Lebanese. Therefore, the opportunity is still available for this term to exit the dangerous path it has put itself and the country in, and to return to the logic of the state based on partnership, understanding, and commitment to the requirements of the pact and the constitution, in a way that safeguards Lebanon's unity, territorial integrity, freedom, and independence."