Presidential initiative to revive Naqoura negotiations amid regional complexities and Israeli challenges aims to prevent the expansion of the “Gaza agreement” to the Lebanese border.
The negotiation initiative launched by the President of the Republic topped the political scene in Lebanon, with his invitation to Israel to resume indirect negotiations in Naqoura, in an attempt to save the path sponsored by “UNIFIL” forces and the International Control Authority.
The initiative received broad presidential support from the Prime Minister and the Speaker of Parliament—who previously undertook negotiations through American mediators in the file of maritime border demarcation—and is read in the context of pressure on Washington to intervene again and prevent the collapse of the agreements that preceded the cessation of hostilities.
The Prime Minister affirms that the President seeks to move the American mediation after the Naqoura negotiations reached a “dead end” as a result of Israel’s refusal to abide by the ceasefire and the continuation of its attacks, while Lebanon adheres to the terms of the agreement “to the letter.”
Ministerial sources believe that the President chose a sensitive regional time coinciding with the American plan to end the war in Gaza, and the preparation of settlements directly related to southern Lebanon, considering that Israel is trying to prevent the expansion of the “Gaza agreement” to the Lebanese border by intensifying attacks and targeting reconstruction equipment.
The sources indicate that the Israeli message is twofold: the first is to prevent reconstruction, and the second is to inform Lebanon that “stopping the war in Gaza does not necessarily mean stopping the fire in the south,” and that any calm will only be granted in exchange for direct negotiations with Israeli security conditions.
For his part, the President believes that the indirect negotiating track, similar to what happened in the demarcation of the maritime borders, is the only realistic way to consolidate Resolution 1701 and avoid sliding into an open confrontation, in light of a clear mandate from Hezbollah to the Speaker of Parliament in this file, and a comprehensive presidential readiness to return to the Naqoura table within a specific political ceiling: no direct negotiations, and no concession on a ceasefire as a primary condition.
The question remains: will Washington respond to the initiative? Or will the American administration—which officials say has conveyed an Israeli message stipulating direct negotiation—wait for its new ambassador to arrive to carry the decisive response on the future of the Naqoura negotiations?
source: 961 today
