Elias Bejjani/Text and Video: The Appointment of Joseph Aoun as President and the Designation of Nawaf Salam to Form the Government Confirm Lebanon’s Chapter VII Status and the Irreversibility of the International and Regional Decision to End Iran’s Era and Uproot its Proxies
Elias Bejjani/Text and Video: The Appointment of Joseph Aoun as President and the Designation of Nawaf Salam to Form the Government Confirm Lebanon’s Chapter VII Status and the Irreversibility of the International and Regional Decision to End Iran’s Era and Uproot its Proxies Elias Bejjani/ January 14, 2025
Today in Lebanon, Judge Nawaf Salam was tasked to for a new government, the first under President Joseph Aoun’s tenure. His designation was unexpected, as until the early hours of the morning, Najib Mikati led by a significant margin, with over 73 MPs set to endorse him. However, suddenly, all the calculations Hezbollah was promoting and attempting to impose collapsed. Mikati was decisively defeated, receiving only 9 votes. Had those nine MPs delayed their visit to Baabda Palace by two hours, they would have likely shifted their support to Salam as well. This clearly indicates that most Lebanese MPs are mere puppets controlled by either local or international powers who brought them to parliament and who dictate their decisions.
This MP’s puppet-like behavior was also evident during the election of Joseph Aoun as president on January 9, 2025. All MPs, both sovereignist and non-sovereignist, bowed to international and regional dictates, electing Aoun with 99 votes out of 128. Even MPs from Amal and Hezbollah had no candidate after MP, Suleiman Frangieh withdrew. They were seemingly coerced by the Iranian regime, following an Iranian-Saudi agreement, to accept Aoun’s presidency in the realm of their recent defeat in the war against Israel and their surrender through the ceasefire agreement. Their attempt to delay the second voting session by two hours to ‘negotiate’ with Joseph Aoun was a farcical show, merely aimed at saving face and deceiving their base into believing they still hold power.
This same failed theatrical act repeated today when Hezbollah and Nabih Berri tried to postpone their visit to Baabda Palace to choose a prime minister until the next day. However, they backtracked when Nawaf Salam secured the majority, and their candidate, Mikati, failed. After meeting President Joseph Aoun, their parliamentary bloc leader, Mohammad Raad, stated they did not name a candidate and expressed dissatisfaction, implying a coup against the so-called ‘national pact.’ His comments suggested Hezbollah might boycott and obstruct the government under the pretext of the lack of Shiite representation, based on their distorted interpretation of the pact.
It is evident that Lebanon is currently under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, even if not officially declared. The international and regional communities are actively enforcing its provisions to end Hezbollah’s era of terrorism, occupation, bullying, and Iranian influence, aiming to help the Lebanese reclaim their nation, independence, and sovereignty.
As for the ‘national pact’ that Hezbollah is threatening to use in a bid to sabotage Nawaf Salam’s coming government, it constitutionally pertains to balance between Christian and Muslim sects, not political parties. Therefore, Nawaf Salam is legally entitled to appoint Shiite ministers from outside Hezbollah and Amal circles if those parties refuse to participate. This principle was echoed today by dozens of Shiite politicians and journalists opposing Hezbollah’s total subservience to Iran’s mullahs and its extremist ideology of Wilayat al-Faqih.
We would have preferred patriotic figures like MP Major General Ashraf Rifi, MP Fouad Makhzoumi, or the courageous academic Dr. Saleh Al-Machnouk to e tasked with forming the government. These figures have proven national credibility and experience in public service. Therefore, we see little hope in Nawaf Salam leading Lebanon into the much-needed peace era for the Middle East. His record reflects Arabist, leftist, and pro-Palestinian positions, marked by hostility towards Israel. He has also legally advocated for the resistance narrative against Israel both locally and internationally.
Given his ideological background, it is difficult to imagine Salam supporting the Abraham Accords or Lebanon’s integration into peaceful agreements with Israel. Lebanon’s ability to join the Arab and Islamic peace treaties with Israel will be nearly impossible under a prime minister who remains ideologically driven by leftist, Arab nationalist, Nasserist, and pro-Palestinian sentiments.
Who is Nawaf Salam?
Nawaf Salam was born in Beirut on December 15, 1953. He is an international judge who was elected President of the International Court of Justice in February 2024. His name emerged prominently during the 2019 popular uprising and after Saad Hariri’s resignation when he was proposed as a neutral compromise candidate, though Hezbollah and Amal rejected him, labeling him a U.S. nominee. Salam has a long history of supporting the Palestinian cause. He was an active member of Fatah and contributed alongside Mahmoud Darwish to drafting Yasser Arafat’s famous 1974 UN speech. He holds a Doctorate in Political Science from the Institute of Political Studies in Paris and a Master of Laws from Harvard University. He represented Lebanon at the UN between 2007 and 2017. However, despite his distinguished academic qualifications, his hostile stances towards Israel significantly diminishes the chances of his government advancing peace with Israel.
Background Lebanon’s Salam, ICJ judge turned prime minister Agence France Presse/January 14, 2025
Nawaf Salam, Lebanon’s new prime minister, is a leading international judge who won support for staying out of the political infighting that has paralyzed the crisis-hit country in recent years. The 71-year-old, who until now was presiding judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, hails from a prominent Beirut political family. He had previously been put forward to form a cabinet in the deeply divided Mediterranean country, but Hezbollah had repeatedly objected, with opponents of the group hoping Salam would be able to reform state institutions long under its grip. Hezbollah has since been badly weakened by its recent war with Israel and the loss of a key ally in Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, enabling new Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday to task Salam with forming a government. The group and its ally Amal again objected to Salam, but for the first time, other political parties previously allied to the Shiite movement have endorsed him.
“Nawaf Salam is widely respected for his academic rigor, independent views, and commitment to justice and human rights,” said Lebanese analyst Imad Salameh. “His ability to maintain equal distance from Lebanon’s divided parties, while embodying principles of justice and governance, makes him a symbol of hope for a more accountable and inclusive future.”
As the country’s economy was collapsing in 2019, mass protests erupted demanding an overhaul of a ruling class accused of corruption and largely unchanged since the 1975-1991 civil war. But they petered out as the Covid pandemic hit, before a massive explosion at the Beirut port ravaged the capital in 2020.
‘Reformist’ –
Born in Beirut in 1953, Salam studied law and political science, including at Harvard in the United States and Sciences Po in France. He was made Lebanon’s ambassador to the United Nations in 2007, when anti-Hezbollah politician Fouad Siniora was prime minister, and stayed in the post for a decade. Politicians opposed to Hezbollah would go on to suggest several times that Salam head a new government. He became president of the ICJ in February last year. “His role at The Hague bolsters his profile as a reformist capable of addressing corruption and inefficiency, aligning him with the demands of Lebanon’s citizens for accountability and transparency,” said Salameh.
Salam’s prolific writings include a 2004 essay about reforming the Lebanese elector. In July, he announced that the ICJ had found that Israel’s continued presence in the Palestinian territories was “illegal” and called for an end to “its unlawful presence as rapidly as possible”.
The statement was not binding, but came amid mounting concern over the death toll and destruction in Israel’s war against Hamas, sparked by the Palestinian group’s attack on October 7, 2023.
Israel slammed the decision as “lies”, while Palestinians said it was a “watershed moment”.
– ‘Right path’ –
Salam’s selection comes after lawmakers — under international pressure, especially from the United States and Saudi Arabia — finally elected Aoun as president following a two-year vacancy in the role.
Lebanese university professor Ali Mrad said support for Salam’s nomination reflected “the real changes that Lebanon is experiencing”.
Mrad said that picking a premier with international values, reformist qualities and a track record of having taken a firm stand on the Palestinian issue, could set Lebanon on the “right path”. Salam follows in the footsteps of his uncle Saeb, who headed the government four times between 1952 and 1973, and his cousin Tammam, who was premier from 2014 to 2016.
His wife Sahar Baassiri is a former Lebanese envoy to the UN cultural and education fund in Paris.
