With a strong likelihood that the eighth round of negotiations will fail to produce any substantive result, at least comparable to the previous two rounds, the negotiating process would lose its credibility, despite Lebanon’s need for it. These observers do not believe that the United States is prepared to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the elections. Indeed, public indications have not served Lebanon’s efforts in this regard. In his latest message to President Joseph Aoun, in which he praised his courage, U.S. President Donald Trump made no mention of the framework agreement or of any desire to give the process momentum. Nor did he refer to the U.S. effort to bring Lebanon and Israel together in his address to the United Nations General Assembly last Tuesday, when he listed his achievements in ending eight wars around the world. This is an indication that the issue is far from settled.
