With the Presidency announcing the appointment of Ambassador Simon Karam as a civilian member of the ceasefire monitoring committee, the “Mechanism,” to begin indirect negotiations with Israel through this committee, many questions have begun to surface.
Was this appointment surprising, or was it the result of a long series of internal and external discussions?
In this context, well-informed sources in the vicinity of Baabda Palace clarified to that this appointment represents the culmination of a long journey that began quietly, away from the spotlight, since Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri announced that there could be no direct negotiation between Israel and Lebanon, but rather it should be done through the Mechanism committee. However, there was a major obstacle to starting these negotiations, which was Israeli rejection.
But sources believe that the American desire played a role in changing this reality, which led to accelerating this process, coinciding with the appointment of a new American ambassador, Michel Issa, who seems to have a crucial role in the move towards appointing a civilian delegate and accelerating this step.
The most important change that led to this decision is the shift in the Israeli position, which responded to the idea of indirect negotiation, to the point that, coinciding with the Lebanese decision, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed his own delegate to the Mechanism committee.
Sources indicate that Beirut received a message in recent days through American mediators, stating the Israeli side’s approval to activate indirect negotiations through the Mechanism.
Sources believe that this step will facilitate the course of the talks, while emphasizing that no condition of the executive plan of the Lebanese army regarding the exclusivity of weapons will be affected. The foundations remain the same, but with greater facilitation of the negotiation process, where civilian figures will help in presenting political ideas during discussions.
Therefore, today, as the sources expressed, eyes are on the meeting of the Mechanism committee and the results that will be issued, which could form the basis for the new path.
Sources indicate that this step may have defused the war that Israel was threatening, with the approaching deadline given by the United States of America to Lebanon to end Hezbollah’s weapons from south and north of the Litani.
The sources conclude by saying that we can only say that we have begun a new phase that may not be easy, but it is certainly delicate, with the hope that its results will be positive.
