In the context of the ongoing debate about France’s role in the Mechanism Committee, Mohieddine Shhaimi, Professor of Law and Foreign Policy in Paris, told : “There is no exclusion of the French team in the Mechanism Committee, and the differences between France and Israel on multiple issues, most notably the aggression against Lebanon and the various events it has witnessed after October 7, are old. The differences between the two sides have been numerous and clear, and have not been hidden from anyone, and the Israeli side has always felt that the French should not have an influential presence at any advisory, executive or operational table during the anticipated stages.”
Shhaimi explains that: “This problem is not new, but dates back to the period of the war and France’s positions on the aggression, as well as the way France saw the implementation of the basic solutions in Lebanon, starting from the initial implementation phase of the agreements to cease hostilities, through the truce phase, to the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied areas of southern Lebanon, and the dismantling of illegal weapons in all Lebanese regions.”
He also draws attention to the fact that: “The French-Israeli differences extended, as the Israeli side was always seeking to reduce the French influence, although the decision in the end does not only rest with it, but there is international coordination that includes the Americans, the Lebanese and the Arab countries as well. Therefore, before the formation of the Mechanism, various international elements from Arab and European countries were introduced, including Britain, Germany, Qatar and Egypt, but the Israeli side rejected this, considering that the Mechanism Committee should work according to its own vision, as it is basically an international committee for the direct implementation of the agreement, and works in an advisory and executive capacity to support the Lebanese state in implementing the agreement and managing the various stages.”
