Lebanon's political and economic crisis continues after head of the country's Future Movement Party, Saad al-Hariri, announced Thursday that he was abandoning his efforts to form a new government.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Hariri made the announcement after a brief meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, to whom he presented a possible new cabinet.
Hariri said Aoun had demanded fundamental changes to Hariri's proposed cabinet, underscoring the political squabbling that has blocked the formation of a cabinet even as Lebanon sinks deeper into crisis.
"It is clear we will not be able to agree with his Excellency the President," Hariri said after meeting Aoun for barely 20 minutes. "That is why I excuse myself from government formation and God help the country."
Hariri, a former prime minister and Lebanon's leading Sunni Muslim politician, was designated in October to assemble a government following the resignation of Prime Minister Hassan Diab's cabinet in the wake of the Beirut port explosion.
The secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said the ramifications of the step would be serious.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Hariri's decision was "disappointing" and urged Lebanese leaders to put aside their differences and form a government.
The World Bank has described Lebanon's depression as one of the sharpest in modern history. The currency has lost more than 90% of its value in two years; poverty has spread and there have been crippling fuel shortages, prompting growing fears of social unrest.
Hariri's decision marks the culmination of months of conflict over cabinet posts between him and Aoun, the Maronite Christian head of state who is allied with Hezbollah.
Hariri and Aoun blamed each other.
"You can't ask me to do everything I can and there is another who doesn't want to sacrifice anything," Hariri said to local television station Al Jadeed in an interview hours after his decision, saying that Aoun had insisted on a blocking minority in any cabinet and that was a main stumbling bloc.
In a statement, the presidency said Hariri had refused to discuss any changes and proposed to Aoun that he take an extra day to accept the proposed line-up. "What is the use of one extra day if the door of discussion is closed?" Aoun told him.
The presidency said Aoun would call for consultations with MPs to designate a new prime minister as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, the economic freefall is Lebanon's worst crisis since the 1975-90 civil war.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
Mohanad Hage Ali, a fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center, said the security situation was approaching a breaking point. "This is a country with a history of violence, and I see this crisis on auto-pilot without anyone in charge," he said.
Western governments have been piling pressure on Lebanese politicians to form a government that can set about reforming the corrupt state, threatening sanctions and saying financial support will not flow before reforms begin.
But barring a dramatic shift in the political landscape, politicians and analysts say it now seems very difficult for a government to be formed before parliamentary elections next year.
