All doors seem to be closed as the term of President Michel Aoun nears its end, with expectations that he will leave the presidential palace next Sunday, thereby concluding this presidential term without electing a new president or forming a government. Consequently, the country will transition from a republic of economic and living collapse to one of presidential and governmental vacuum, during a time when no one can predict when the lawmakers, who have been preoccupied with meaningless slogans and white papers, will wake from their slumber following a month of political and obstructive bickering, and will instead focus on electing a new president rather than distributing accusations left and right.
Today, as the final signing of the maritime border demarcation agreement between Lebanon and Israel is set to occur, American mediator Amos Hochstein arrived in Beirut yesterday afternoon to oversee this expected process. Sources involved in the logistical preparations for the signing event indicated that the Lebanese side has replaced the official delegation with a colonel from the Lebanese Army’s Geographical Affairs Office to participate in the signing ceremony. Two tents will be erected near the zero point of the borders in Naqoura—one towards Lebanon where the Lebanese delegation will sit, and the other towards the occupied territories for the Israeli delegation, while Hochstein will hand each delegation a copy of the agreement for signing. Furthermore, based on a request from the Lebanese side, media outlets will not be allowed to broadcast these proceedings to prevent any misinterpretation that might be perceived as normalization with Israel.
The sources revealed that Hochstein, who will meet with President Aoun and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bouhabib this morning, is expected to receive two written messages from them: the first is an official letter from Aoun confirming his approval of the demarcation, and the second is a technical letter signed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirming approval of the demarcation, resembling a veiled signature. After the signing ceremony in Naqoura, Hochstein will travel to Israel to meet with officials there and signal the start of gas exploration in the Karish field.
