Verbal confrontation between the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and Amal Movement resurfaced as ministers from the two sides exchanged accusations that reached the level of insults over power control and decision-making. The new confrontation between the two bitter rivals emerged over of the file of the honorary consuls, when Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil accused Amal Movement of obstructing the appointments, without naming the party. The response came from the Minister of Finance and Amal’s representative in the government, Ali Hassan Khalil, who described Bassil as the “marvel of the country.” The debate came after a month following a previous standoff, when a video was leaked on social media, showing the foreign minister calling Speaker Nabih Berri, Amal’s president, a “thug”. Another war of words erupted last week over the electricity file. Bassil accused Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil of blocking an electricity plan. Khalil hit back on Monday, saying: “I’m proud of blocking this project, because it contains an attempt at theft, public funds waste and corruption.” The foreign minister continued his attack on Amal on Tuesday at the opening of the Diaspora Energy Conference (Oceania 2018) in Sydney. “There is no return to the era of guardianship, but to a period in which expatriates are the guardians of themselves, their decisions and their free political will,” he stated. On Saturday, Bassil touched on the issue of the appointment of consuls, saying: “I am ashamed to say that there are those in Lebanon who are obstructing the appointment of consuls who are ready to serve Lebanon for free. We must have an army of honorary consuls without asking any of the politicians.” The response also came from Khalil, who said: “The country’s marvel does not only poison the minds of the Lebanese at home… but he expands the scope of his lies to reach the countries of expatriation to reap the rewards of his continuing failure…” In reaction to Khalil’s remarks, Bassil said: “We must keep the expats away from poisons and politics in Lebanon. While we want to benefit the Lebanese diaspora, the other side wants to benefit from it. This is the point of disagreement between us and them.”