On Tuesday, November 19, measured optimism was expressed in Beirut about the prospect of reaching a ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite party Hezbollah. After thirteen months of war and several failed attempts by the United States and France, negotiations finally began on the basis of an American proposal presented by Joe Biden’s special envoy, Amos Hochstein. At the end of an almost two-hour interview with the president of Parliament, Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally who leads the mediation on the Lebanese side, Amos Hochstein estimated that there is a solution “within reach”.
The US proposal provides for a sixty-day truce, during which the Israeli army must withdraw from southern Lebanon and the Lebanese army must redeploy there along with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in accordance with Resolution 1701 of the United Nations. This resolution, which ended the previous war in 2006, stipulates that Hezbollah withdraw north of the Litani River, between four and thirty kilometers from the demarcation line, and that Israel cease, in particular, its air overflights over Lebanon. Negotiations must then be opened to demarcate the land border between Israel and Lebanon, pending the resolution of thirteen controversial points.
On Monday, the Lebanese government and Hezbollah accepted in principle, with comments, the US proposal. Amos Hochstein launched this new mediation after the green light given by Hezbollah – greatly affected by the beheading of its leaders and its military command, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah, on September 27, by Israel – to disassociate the Gaza file that of Lebanon. , which he has refused to do since he opened a front against Israel, in October 2023, in support of Palestinian Hamas.
“The situation in principle is good”declared Nabih Berri to the pan-Arab newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, after his meeting with Amos Hochstein. He specified that the Lebanese and American representatives had to reach an agreement “certain technical details” ahead of Mr. Hochstein’s departure for Israel, where he is expected to present the amended deal proposal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Mr. Hochstein says he coordinated with the Israelis on the proposal. But it would not be the first time that the Israelis have failed to fulfill their commitments.Berri warned.
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