Government policy statement discussions over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon may force the committee drafting it to phrase the statement in general terms regarding Lebanon’s commitment to justice and the tribunal itself, an informed source told al-Liwaa newspaper in remarks published on Saturday.

It said that the final statement may serve to appease the majority and opposition.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Friday bluntly told the European Union's top diplomat that U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state in September would render the Oslo Accords null and void.

At a breakfast meeting with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, Lieberman said the 1993 Oslo Accords that created the Palestinian Authority, and all the agreements reached since then, would be cancelled if they secured recognition of their independent state when the United Nations meets this autumn.

U.S. Congressman Howard Berman has introduced the Hizbullah Anti-Terrorism Act (HATA) that sets rigorous requirements for the provision of foreign assistance to Lebanon during periods when the Shiite party is part of the majority governing coalition.

The cosponsors of HATA include three Congressmen of Lebanese origin -Darrell Issa, Charles Boustany, and Nick Rahall.

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon spokesman Andrea Tenenti stated on Thursday that the international troops were deployed in Lebanon at the request of the Lebanese authorities.

He said in a statement: “The Lebanese were in national agreement over UNIFIL’s functioning and U.N. Security Council resolution 1701.”

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yigal Palmor said that if the new Lebanese cabinet recognizes the existence of the Israeli state then “negotiations will be launched immediately,” the al-Rai Kuwaiti newspaper reported on Thursday from the German Press Agency-DPA.

He noted that the Israeli Foreign Ministry statement, issued on Wednesday, “doesn’t signify a call for immediate negotiations.”

Tawheed Movement leader Wiam Wahhab’s personal bodyguard has been charged with collaborating with Israel, including participating directly and indirectly in assassinations against Hizbullah fighters, reported al-Akhbar newspaper on Thursday.

The accused, Jalal A., was suspected by Hizbullah of working with Israel after noticing his suspicious behavior during Wahhab’s visits to party officials in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hizbullah stronghold.

Israel’s foreign ministry said Wednesday the Jewish state hopes Lebanon's new government will respect international law and borders and contribute to regional stability.

After five months of negotiations, Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati announced a new government on Tuesday, with Israel’s arch-foe Hizbullah and its allies dominating the line-up.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stated during the new government’s first session that it “will work for the whole of Lebanon and all Lebanese without discrimination or spite,” Information Minister Walid al-Daouq quoted him as saying.

He said in a statement after the session: “Lebanon is the victor and we cannot ignore the sacrifices that were made, especially that of Speaker Nabih Berri who asserted Sunni-Shiite unity, preventing strife from coming between them.”

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu is hoping to convince at least 30 countries to vote against recognizing a Palestinian state should the United Nations debate the issue in September, media reports said.

"Before we reach September, we have to push through an initiative to secure 30 countries and more who will say 'no' to the unilateral recognition in the U.N. General Assembly," the Israeli premier was quoted as saying by news website Ynet.

Hundreds of Israeli police are taking part in a training exercise in preparation for potentially large-scale Palestinian protests in September, a police spokesman said on Tuesday.

"There's an exercise that the police are carrying out... in order to deal with public order, maintaining public order, and dealing with widespread disturbances," spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld told Agence France Presse.