Stimson Center Expert: Lebanese Delegation’s Conduct Will Be Taught as an Example of Poor Negotiation

By Staff

Amid the Lebanese authorities’ continued insistence on pursuing direct negotiations with the “Israeli” enemy under the framework agreement—an approach critics argue has been characterized by successive concessions—criticism has continued to mount from multiple quarters, including a range of political figures, some of whom are known opponents of Hezbollah.

The latest criticism came from Randa Slim, Director of the Middle East Program at the Stimson Center in Washington, who wrote in a post on her account on the social media platform X:

My prediction: over time the trilateral agreement will be hollowed out. A major part of South Lebanon will remain ‘Israeli’ occupied. There will be meetings in Rome & elsewhere about implementing the agreement. Neither the ‘Israelis’ would be willing to do much nor the US administration would be willing to apply any pressure on the ‘Israeli’ gov't.

She added,

@LBpresidency term will also be hollowed out. Mr. Aoun will continue his term having to answer for his decision to sign the badly negotiated trilateral agreement with ‘Israel’. The Lebanese negotiation behavior will become a case study in negotiation courses taught around the world about bad negotiations. I hope I am proven wrong.