Lebanon’s Aoun Adamant in Rejecting Mikati as PM

Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (AFP file photo)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (AFP file photo)
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Lebanon’s Aoun Adamant in Rejecting Mikati as PM

Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (AFP file photo)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (AFP file photo)

Lebanon’s Free Patriotic Movement, which was founded by President Michel Aoun, stressed its rejection of the designation of Najib Mikati as prime minister.

A prominent source from the FPM told Asharq Al-Awsat that its nomination of former ambassador to the United Nations Nawaf Salam to the post was not a “political maneuver aimed at upsetting Hezbollah or appeasing the Americans.”

Rather, the nomination is aimed at countering Mikati’s, “who is completely rejected,” he acknowledged.

Meanwhile, informed sources said Aoun is committed to holding consultations to name a premier on Monday even if an agreement is not reached on a candidate beforehand.

FPM MP Hikmat Deeb explained that opposition to Mikati stems from - among other issues - suspicions that he had accumulated his wealth through illegal means. Mikati, a billionaire, is among Lebanon’s richest people.

Head of the FPM’s media relations, Tarek Sadek, had said the movement will not name Mikati as premier and that it will give a limited time for the formation of a government. Should efforts fail, the FPM lawmakers will resign from parliament.

In a tweet, he alleged that Mikati is the “choice of the United States and the corrupt system.”

“Salam, on the other hand, boasts a history in championing Arabism and the Palestinian cause,” he added.

“I understand why parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, former PM Saad Hariri and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt would back Mikati, but why would Hezbollah [the FPM’s main ally]?” he wondered.



UN Chief Says Forcing Palestinians to Move Away Is against International Law

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers a statement about the ongoing humanitarian situation and fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 08 April 2025. (EPA)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers a statement about the ongoing humanitarian situation and fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 08 April 2025. (EPA)
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UN Chief Says Forcing Palestinians to Move Away Is against International Law

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers a statement about the ongoing humanitarian situation and fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 08 April 2025. (EPA)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers a statement about the ongoing humanitarian situation and fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, New York, USA, 08 April 2025. (EPA)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said that it would be against international law for Palestinians to be forced to be moved away, responding to questions about a US push to take control of the Gaza Strip.

"To be forced to be moved away is something that is against international law," Guterres told a press briefing. "Palestinians must be able to live in a Palestinian state side by side with an Israeli state. That is the only solution that can bring peace to the Middle East."

Guterres also rejected a new Israeli proposal to control aid deliveries in Gaza, saying it risks "further controlling and callously limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour."

"Let me be clear: We will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality," Guterres told reporters.

No aid has been delivered to the Palestinian enclave of some 2.1 million people since March 2. Israel has said it would not allow the entry of all goods and supplies into Gaza until Palestinian militants Hamas release all remaining hostages.

COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, last week met with UN agencies and international aid groups and said it proposed "a structured monitoring and aid entry mechanism" for Gaza.

"The mechanism is designed to support aid organizations, enhance oversight and accountability, and ensure that assistance reaches the civilian population in need, rather than being diverted and stolen by Hamas," COGAT posted on X on Sunday.

Jonathan Whittall, the senior UN aid official for Gaza and the West Bank, said last week that there was no evidence of aid being diverted.

Israel last month resumed its bombardment of Gaza after a two-month truce and sent troops back into the enclave.

"Gaza is a killing field – and civilians are in an endless death loop," said Guterres as he again called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and full humanitarian access in Gaza.

"With crossing points into Gaza shut and aid blockaded, security is in shambles and our capacity to deliver has been strangled," he said.

"As the occupying power, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law – including international humanitarian law and international human rights law," Guterres said.

That means Israel should facilitate relief programs and ensure food, medical care, hygiene and public-health standards in Gaza, he said. "None of that is happening today," he added.

Israel says it does not exercise effective control over Gaza and therefore is not an occupying power.

The war in Gaza was triggered on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities.