Jumblat says won't be part of coalition against framework agreement
Druze leader Walid Jumblat declared in an interview with L'Orient-Le Jour that he "will not be part of a coalition to bring down the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel."
"We will not support it (the agreement), and I do not want a repeat of the 1983 scenario," Jumblat added. He considered the agreement "a misstep by the Lebanese state" and called for its reconsideration.
Jumblat argued that it "will not be feasible," recalling that the May 17 Agreement stipulated the withdrawal of the Israeli army, while the 2026 agreement stipulates the establishment of pilot zones that the Lebanese Army is supposed to control, leaving the decision to Israel as to whether or not to withdraw.
He pointed out that "some clauses of the agreement place the Lebanese Army at the mercy of the Israeli army, without any clear withdrawal date," noting that the word "withdrawal" itself "does not appear even once in the text of the agreement."
He explained that "we are not facing a new version of the May 17 Agreement."
"However, there are some problematic clauses, particularly Article 13, which prevents Lebanon from prosecuting war criminals and child killers before the courts during the negotiations," Jumblat added.
He considered that "the Armistice Agreement, which has governed relations between Lebanon and Israel since 1949, should have been adhered to," noting that "U.S. pressure was exerted, along with the presence of a Lebanese lobby in Washington pushing for this kind of gradual compromise, even though it contradicts with Lebanon's interests."
He added: "The matter becomes even more dangerous when we see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirming daily that he will not withdraw from Lebanon."
Jumblat also suggested that the negotiations between Iran and the United States "remain very unclear."
"Therefore, we must focus on the Lebanese track and on the principle of reaching a bilateral agreement under the auspices of the United Nations," he said.
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