Rmeish Priest Summoned; Border Faithful Rally
Cut off after the war, the southern village protests the summons of Fr. Najib Al-Amil as he awaits a secure route to Sidon.
Fr. Najib Al-Amil, pastor of Rmeish, a Christian village on Lebanon’s southern border, has been summoned for questioning in Sidon, prompting a wave of anger among local Christians.
Residents gathered in the church square on Saturday, October 31, 2026, in a show of solidarity with their priest. The summons stems from a building dispute: a townsman erected a room that local police ordered demolished. Fr. Al‑Amil had asked that the matter be deferred until conditions allowed, seeking to avoid any confrontation. A judge in Sidon who contacted him reportedly treated his remarks as a threat involving “the Israeli.”
A Besieged Border Parish
Rmeish remained in place through the recent war and is widely described as under siege. The village is effectively cut off. Reaching Sidon means long and dangerous roads, with travel dependent on convoys arranged in advance and escorted for security. Fr. Al‑Amil has said he is ready to appear once the road is secure.
Since 2024 the priest has urged that security forces stay in Rmeish and has refused to abandon its people. His stance has made him a reference point for Christians who feel left alone on the frontier.
The episode has revived a recurring Christian complaint: that the state applies building rules strictly in some places while leaving widespread construction violations elsewhere unaddressed. For many in the community, the summons of a priest over a delayed demolition order, while the village itself lacks safe access to the courts, crystallizes that double standard.
Fr. Danny Dargham wrote on X: “Fr. Najib Al‑Amil and the people of the border region: the state that abandoned you, abandon it!”
The faithful of Rmeish continue to insist on the priest’s presence among them and on the need for the state to protect, rather than isolate, the remaining Christian presence on Lebanon’s southern edge.