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Lebanon’s Adib in Baabda Monday to Propose Government Lineup

PM-designate Mustapha Adib met Aoun last week (NNA)
PM-designate Mustapha Adib met Aoun last week (NNA)
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Lebanon’s Adib in Baabda Monday to Propose Government Lineup

PM-designate Mustapha Adib met Aoun last week (NNA)
PM-designate Mustapha Adib met Aoun last week (NNA)

Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate, Mustapha Adib, is expected to visit President Michel Aoun in Baabda Palace on Monday to propose his government lineup, informed sources said, adding that the PM is optimistic that the cabinet would be formed soon.

The sources said French Ambassador Pierre Dukan, a member of the French team concerned with President Emmanuel Macron’s initiative on Lebanon, is expected to visit Beirut this week to follow up with Lebanese officials on means to agree on unified figures on the country’s financial losses to present them to the IMF as soon as the government is formed.

Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, which is headed by Speaker Nabih Berri, would not participate in the new government if they fail to name their ministers and take the finance portfolio, said the sources.

In a statement on Sunday, Berri’s office said the Speaker has informed Adib that Amal will not be participating in the next government on the proposed foundations.

It added that Berri also told Adib his party was ready to cooperate to the “fullest extent to serve Lebanon’s stability and finances, implement reforms and rescue its economy.”

The statement said the problem is not with the French, but rather internal.

“One slogan was launched for the government: specialization in exchange for [potential ministers] not being aligned with parties and not affiliated with parliamentary [blocs], vetoes on ministries, inviting support from abroad and without holding consultations,” the statement said.

On Sunday, head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Gebran Bassil received separate telephone calls from Macron and Adib.

For his part, Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi said that from now on, “we cannot accept a cabinet similar to its predecessors,” describing the country’s political system as mired in an epidemic of selfishness, financial corruption and quotas at the expense of public money and the people of Lebanon.

Rahi’s statement came at a religious sermon during the 40-day memorial service dedicated to the Aug. 4 Beirut Port victims.

Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elias Audi also lashed out at political leaders.

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Smotrich Again Calls For Reduction of Half of Gaza’s Population

Settler activists dance at a conference calling for the establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, close to the Israel-Gaza border, October 21, 2024. (Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel)
Settler activists dance at a conference calling for the establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, close to the Israel-Gaza border, October 21, 2024. (Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel)
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Smotrich Again Calls For Reduction of Half of Gaza’s Population

Settler activists dance at a conference calling for the establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, close to the Israel-Gaza border, October 21, 2024. (Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel)
Settler activists dance at a conference calling for the establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, close to the Israel-Gaza border, October 21, 2024. (Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel)

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Monday again called for the occupation of the Gaza Strip and the reduction of its Palestinian population “by half within two years,” raising concerns about the presence of similar plans.
Speaking at a conference organized by the Yesha Council, an umbrella group representing Israeli municipalities in the West Bank, Smotrich said that “it is possible to create a situation where Gaza’s population will be reduced to half its current size in two years.”
“It won’t cost too much money. Even if it does, we should not be afraid to pay for it,” he added.
Smotrich’s calls for the occupation of Gaza are not new. However, they reflect the unstated goals of the current war in Gaza, including a prolonged occupation, military rule and rebuilding of settlements.
Israel continues to announce that its goals of the Gaza war are the “elimination of Hamas” and “returning of the captives.” However, developments in Tel Aviv and the Gaza Strip do not support such claims.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet announced a plan for the post-war phase in Gaza, where Israel is working to deepen its control by expanding the axes it holds and establishing permanent military outposts.
Meanwhile, Smotrich’s speech revealed that the minister is setting a budget for the occupation of Gaza.
He said that “Occupying Gaza is not a dirty word.”
“If the cost of security control is 5 billion shekels ($1.37 billion), I will accept it with open arms. If that is what it takes to ensure the security of Israel, then so be it,” the Minister added.
He appeared to be referencing concerns raised by members of Israel’s security establishment along with Treasury officials who have warned about the massive implications that occupying Gaza would have on Israel’s economy.
Smotrich insisted that the only way to defeat Hamas is to replace its governing capabilities in Gaza and that Israel is the only party that can do so, even if that means making the Israeli Army responsible for managing the civilian affairs of Palestinians in Gaza.
Smotrich claimed that once the success of “encouraged migration” is proven in Gaza, it can be replicated in the West Bank, where another three million Palestinians live.
The Religious Zionism party chairman has long spoken in favor of annexing large parts of the West Bank and declared earlier this month that US President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory offers an opportunity to see that vision through.
Smotrich was one of several government ministers who attended an event last month calling for the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza.
Ahead of his attendance at the conference, Smotrich said that territory relinquished by Israel in the past had turned into “Iranian forward terror bases,” and endangered the country.
But is Smotrich capable of reoccupying and rebuilding settlements in Gaza? For many Israelis, the matter depends on how the war in the Strip ends.
In an article published by The Times of Israel, Eran Hildesheim accused Smotrich of trying to convince the public of a new narrative that if Israel achieves its goals in the war and defeats its enemies, peace and security will return to the region.
The author said this narrative aims primarily to prepare the public opinion that the war should continue, while at the same time promoting the vision of rebuilding settlements in the Gaza Strip.
According to Hildesheim, “the end of the war, as Smotrich put it, implies a large land seizure in the Gaza Strip.”
In the first phase, the minister said the army would distribute food to the population.
Later, Smotrich plans a full military rule to directly manage the lives of the Palestinian population. The ultimate goal of this plan is to rebuild settlements in the Gaza Strip.
“Smotrich's vision places an unbearably heavy financial burden on Israel,” Hildesheim wrote.
He added that such a plan would cost about NIS 20 billion per year, not taking into account the costs of rebuilding the Strip.
He said while the state does not currently own this amount, Israel will therefore be forced to adopt an “economy based on God’s help” to get out of this situation peacefully.