Ongoing Lebanese political disputes over incidents in the Chouf in late June - which claimed the lives of two aides of Minister of State for Displaced Affairs Saleh al-Gharib – are preventing the Cabinet from convening for the fourth consecutive week after mediation failed to reach a settlement to the crisis.
The General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers did not distribute the agenda of the cabinet session on Tuesday, meaning that no session would be held this week.
Meanwhile, contacts are underway to contain the crisis, including a meeting between President Michel Aoun and General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim.
The Chouf incident escalated as supporters of Progressive Socialist Party chief and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt protested against a planned visit to the area by Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, a Jumblatt adversary.
Gharib, a Druze politician, is politically aligned with Bassil and backed by Jumblatt’s Druze rival MP Talal Arslan, the leader of the Lebanese Democratic Party.
The PSP has accused Gharib’s companions of opening fire at the protesters, leading to an exchange of fire in which two PSP supporters were also wounded.
The Lebanese Democratic Party is insisting on referring the file to the Judicial Council – a demand rejected by the PSP, stressing the need for the completion of the investigations before the referral of the case to the judicial authority.
In light of the ongoing bickering, the Cabinet has failed to meet to approve pending issues, including administrative appointments and decisions related to the 2019 budget law.
According to Mustaqbal MP Mohammad al-Hajjar, Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s decision to suspend government work was based on the need to resolve the political crisis to avoid any escalation during the ministerial meeting.
Arslan, for his part, insists on his request to refer the case to the Judicial Council, which is seen by political sources as driving the crisis into a deadlock, given his refusal to back down from his demand.
