Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who also heads the Amal movement, told the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar that the U.S.-brokered framework agreement with Israel is a set of demands, not a pact that preserves Lebanon's rights. Berri called it ten times worse than the May 17, 1983 agreement, and warned it risks opening the door to internal division and strife among Lebanese to the benefit of the Israeli occupation.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri escalated his opposition to the U.S.-brokered framework agreement with Israel, telling the pro-Hezbollah newspaper Al-Akhbar in an interview published Monday morning that the deal is 'ten times worse' than the May 17, 1983 Lebanon-Israel peace accord. Berri said the current framework is a set of demands, not a pact preserving Lebanon's rights, and warned it risks opening the door to internal division and strife that would benefit 'the Israeli occupation.' The speaker characterized his remarks as a 'political warning' — the most severe he can give — while signaling his camp will not be drawn into street protests or reactions that could drag the country into chaos and civil war, a deliberate non-violent opposition posture.
Berri's latest salvo follows a thread of escalating opposition. On Saturday, June 27 at 14:04 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported Berri's initial warning against civil war, his characterization of the agreement as 'illogical' and a threat to all Arab states, and his explicit statement that the deal 'will not be adopted' by parliament. Those earlier reports were based on statements carried by multiple sources. Monday's Al-Akhbar interview — a single, partisan news outlet — represents Berri's most detailed and historically framed critique, but remains an unverified claim by a politically interested actor. Corroboration from independent Lebanese media or official statements has not yet been published.
As The Zioneer reported on Saturday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem condemned the framework as 'humiliating and shameful' and vowed to block it. The parliamentary speaker — a Shia leader and longtime Hezbollah ally — holds effective veto power over Lebanese legislation, making his opposition a significant political obstacle to ratification. The May 17, 1983 agreement Berri invokes was a U.S.-brokered Lebanon-Israel peace accord that collapsed under Syrian and militant pressure and was never ratified. Earlier this week, Lebanese Christian leader Sami Gemayel urged the U.S. not to let Iran make Lebanon part of its deal, while Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea backed the framework as 'the most important step in 50 years' and attacked Berri's opposition, according to The Zioneer reports from Sunday and Monday.
The precise terms of the framework agreement Berri criticizes remain unpublished, and it is unknown whether the deal's text matches the speaker's description. No official Israeli or U.S. response to Berri's latest remarks had been issued as of 07:40 Jerusalem Monday.
6 developments
- DevelopingLebanese Forces leader Geagea backs framework deal with Israel, attacks Berri
- StrongHezbollah says it is not committed to the framework deal with Israel
- DevelopingLebanese Speaker Reportedly Sets Conditions for Israel Deal
- DevelopingLebanese Parliament Speaker says Hezbollah working to undermine deal with Israel
Source and signal
- Internal intake