Simon Karam Travels To Vatican To Pressure For Date On Eighth Israel Negotiations

Vatican channel for talks

Lebanon’s envoy for the Israel negotiations, Simon Karam, is set to travel to the Vatican as the American sponsored negotiation track faces complications while Israeli escalation continues in the south and UNIFIL’s mandate approaches its end. The Holy See’s role in the Lebanese file has expanded after President Michel Aoun’s visit to Rome and his meeting with Pope Leo XIV, with the Vatican stressing respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty and borders and the necessity of reaching a diplomatic solution. The Pope has a direct role in communications with the American administration during previous escalation phases, helping open room to ease pressure on Beirut and the southern suburbs and paving the way for direct negotiations under Washington’s sponsorship.

Libnanews frames the Vatican trip as a second backing outside Washington, saying Simon Karam is visiting for meetings including Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, and Paul Richard Gallagher, in charge of relations with states. Libnanews adds that the Vatican mission is not meant to replace the United States in managing the negotiations, and it presents the objective as broadening the circle of actors who can support the talks and defend Lebanon’s stability.

Reporting for this sectionAn-NaharLibnanews

Pressure to set date

Lebanon Debate says the negotiating path is facing a new test through the Vatican, because no date is set for the eighth round and Lebanon seeks to prevent postponement from turning into a long freeze. Israel insists on postponing the next round until after its internal elections in November, which it says would keep negotiations stalled in the coming weeks with outstanding files without progress. Ambassador Simón Karam will ask Vatican officials to intervene to help set a date for the eighth round before the Israeli elections, to prevent the electoral milestone from suspending the entire negotiating process.

An-Nahar describes Karma’s mission as aiming to push toward holding the eighth round of negotiations after signs of Israeli reluctance emerged, and it says Rome has hosted previous rounds and appears interested in keeping the track alive. An-Nahar also says the Vatican visit is meant to test whether its role can be transformed from moral and political support into a real pressure lever through channels with Washington and Europe to keep negotiations alive.

Reporting for this sectionLebanon DebateAn-Nahar

UNIFIL end and alternatives

An-Nahar links the Vatican outreach to the post-UNIFIL phase, saying Lebanon does not want the end of the international mission to lead to a security vacuum in the south and that European ideas have been proposed, including an Italian role, in alternative arrangements.

Lebanon asks for a withdrawal timeline, assurances against an Israeli return to potentially evacuated zones, and an international presence to accompany the deployment of the army, while Israel asks for guarantees on control of affected zones and on Hezbollah’s inability to rebuild capabilities there.

Al-Liwaa reports that President Nawaf Salam travels to Washington to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and that the discussion will work on securing an alternative to UNIFIL within the framework of the framework agreement under the United Nations umbrella.

Al-Liwaa adds that the meeting with Rubio will address how to break the stalemate in the framework negotiations and will also cover aid to southern regions, support for the south, and reconstruction.

Al-Liwaa further reports that independent political sources said the United States has maintained its previous stance on the importance of disarming Hezbollah, while Hezbollah’s Secretary-General rejected surrendering weapons by saying that the resistance remains.

Reporting for this sectionAn-Nahar