Beirut – Recent Developments reveals that Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government is adopting policies that are closely aligned with American directives.
In regional and domestic arenas, the government appears as an administrative branch of the US embassy in Beirut, not the authority to represent an independent state.
Four complementary milestones demonstrate this trend. Trump’s so-called “eternal peace” plan aims to neutralize resistance and Palestine. Issues by Raouche Rock; The Minister of Justice’s recent order effectively treats notaries as employees of the US Treasury. And then there is the Starlink agreement to hand over Lebanon’s digital sovereignty.
The central goal of Trump’s so-called “peace” plan is not to stop war or find a fair reconciliation, but to “peace by force” logic – the Israelis direct the Palestinians and Arabs.
Trump and Netanyahu agreed that achieving the strategic goals of the war with Gaza does not always require bombing, and could be imposed through political, diplomatic and economic pressures.
The plan therefore forms part of a broader context in a single category, including Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, Iraq and Iran. Submit to the US and Israeli agenda, or face more war.
Importantly for Lebanon, international pressure on Palestinian resistance is linked to efforts to isolate Hezbollah and contain it within the country.
Here is the “necessary” role of the Salam government, created as a local implementer of this strategy.
This role was evident in the Rock Crisis in Rauche when the Resalat Association of Hezbollah illuminated the rocks with a photograph of his secretary.
The government and its prime minister became violent and instead of viewing the event as a symbolic arts national event, they treated it as a threat to public safety!
Salam called on the Ministry of Home Affairs, Justice and Defense ministries to take “decisive” measures, including disbanding the association and judicial prosecutors against organizers.
From the government’s view, raising the image of two resistance symbols assassinated for resisting Israel is a crime that justifies punishment. However, waiving the wealth or sovereignty of a nation is not considered a violation.
In this sense, the rauch becomes a symbol of a wider battle. Contradicting the Washington agenda, cultural or general activities commemorating resistance are rejected.
Another government offence was Circular No. 1355 issued by Justice Minister Adele Nasser.
The circular requires that notaries verify the identity of the “economic owner” of a sale, lease or transfer of a ownership transaction and consider international and US sanctions regulations before entering into a contract.
If the party’s name is displayed in these regulations, the transaction is prohibited from being notarized under the penalty of prosecution.
This measure violates the principles of freedom of contract and property rights from a legal standpoint.
Lebanon’s legal capabilities are determined by national law and judicial rulings, not by the US Treasury Department.
Cycle has transformed the role of notaries from neutral witnesses to agents implementing foreign financial directives, preventing Lebanese people on international sanctions lists from enforcing legal capabilities at home.
This is not just a “management error” but an official recognition of foreign guardianship.
Another crime is a StarLink license transaction. The contract signed between the Department of Telecommunications and the American company did not pass Congress, as required by Act 431/2002. It was also not subject to auditing or public bids.
The most serious aspect is the ability to store Lebanese data on Qatar’s servers, which violates Article 72 of the Electronic Transactions Act.
Therefore, by government decision, the state has waived digital sovereignty on American companies that are directly linked to Washington’s security equipment.
Information in Lebanon has been exposed overseas without guaranteeing privacy or cybersecurity.
Ironically, all this was done under the guise of an “international license,” but in reality it became an illegal concession to foreign companies that manage Lebanon’s digital space.
Together – Trump’s plan, consistency with that of the Arab states, the Laucet case, the Justice Minister’s Circulation, and Starlink’s deal – these developments show that respect for Washington has shifted to a core element of Lebanese politics.
The Salam government is not responsible for its people and their laws, but rather sees itself in Washington and its orders. Therefore, it paves the way for Lebanon to fall into the same “peace by force” trap imposed by the US mentally ill president in the region.
It’s a single path. From surrendering Hamas and the Palestinians to restraining the symbols of Beirut’s resistance, transforming justice and control into tools for US sanctions, and handing over the digital space to American businesses.