Lebanon02 October, 20262 min read
Walid Jumblatt Warns Lebanon Faces “Negotiating For The Sake Of Negotiating” Cycle
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Jumblatt warns talks risk becoming endless, with new Israeli demands each session. He would back negotiations if they lead to Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon.
Jumblatt targets talks
Walid Jumblatt warned that Lebanon may be entering a cycle of "negotiating for the sake of negotiating," with the Lebanese delegation set to face new demands in every session. Jumblatt said he advised drawing lessons from the Oslo process and called for "deepening coordination" with the Ramallah headquarters of the Palestinian Authority. Jumblatt argued that diplomats observed in Oslo that "with every round of negotiations, parts of the land were lost and its features altered," and he concluded that the Palestinian Oslo Accords were "born dead."
Jumblatt added that a "Lebanese Oslo" is on its way, with "no limits to Israeli demands and ambitions other than further expansion to seize land and water" and the potential establishment of settlements. Jumblatt framed his warning as a response to talks with Israel that he said appear to have entered that repeating pattern.
Florida military meeting
A Lebanese-American military meeting with Israeli participation is scheduled to take place in Tampa, Florida later this month, a Lebanese official source told Al Mayadeen. The source said the meeting would be supervised by the US Central Command, CENTCOM, and would begin on October 20 and continue through October 22, while involving no political participation. The source also said no date had yet been set for the eighth round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, and it described the latest political negotiations as taking place on August 4 at the US Embassy in Rome.
Al-Khaleej said the Israeli army continued air raids and the demolition of houses in various areas of south Lebanon while Lebanon was informed by the American sponsor that Lebanese-Israeli military negotiations would take place in Tampa, Florida on the 20th of this month. Al-Khaleej added that the talks would be limited to field and military files, including a ceasefire, halting land-grabbing, and the possibility of expanding prototype areas or progress on the verification file.
Conditions for backing talks
Walid Jumblatt said he would support the ongoing diplomatic efforts and the framework agreement only if they lead to an Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon. Jumblatt told reporters after he met with President Joseph Aoun in Baabda that he would back Lebanon's negotiations with Israel "if they lead to a gradual or complete withdrawal" and a border demarcation. Jumblatt reiterated his support for the 1949 Armistice agreement that formally ended the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and he criticized spats between Hezbollah and anti-Hezbollah MPs over the Israeli war and the framework agreement as "shameful."
In a separate warning, Jumblatt said the destruction in south Lebanon should push Hezbollah to dialogue with authorities, while he said he had "no problem" with the framework agreement if it leads to the liberation of Israeli-occupied territories. Jumblatt also said he was worried about Lebanon and that there was "no problem" with the framework agreement only if it delivers that liberation, linking his stance to outcomes rather than the talks themselves.