Lebanon Seeks Negotiation with Israel

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area in the village of Khiam near the southern Lebanese border with Israel on March 16. (credit: COURTNEY BONNEAU/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Following the devastating activities of Hezbollah in Lebanon, President Joseph Aoun proposed an initiative for talks with Israel, according to Lebanese media, which called for a one-month ceasefire during which negotiators would confer on how to advance the disarmament.

But to many Israeli ears, including key decision makers, the declarations lacked credibility. Only the IDF could be trusted to do the job, they reasoned. Perhaps Israel would be willing to negotiate with Lebanon, but it would be while the IDF proceeded militarily, Israeli officials said, according to Israeli media reports.

Moreover, Israel seems to have backing from Washington for a broader military push. Late last year, Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey who was also responsible for Lebanon, said Washington would support Israel if it “becomes more aggressive towards Lebanon,” according to the London-based Arab Weekly website. He termed Lebanon a “failed state” with a “paralyzed government.”

Jacques Neriah, a Lebanese-born and raised former foreign policy advisor to assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, dismissed Lebanese government statements.

“What they say is worth nothing as long as they don’t take steps 1,2,3 against Hezbollah. There is a need for a ground operation to clean out Hezbollah to the Litani at least,” he told the Report.

But then Israel should withdraw, he added: “There is no need to stay sitting in Lebanon.”

“We want a Lebanese government that will sign a non-aggression or peace agreement that will bring an end to the hostility,” said Neriah, now a special analyst for the Middle East at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. “In the way of that is a big obstacle: Hezbollah. This is an obstacle that the Lebanese government is not capable of dealing with and doesn’t want to deal with. We are the only ones who can deal with it.”

“If we do not dramatically weaken Hezbollah so that it has only a remnant of its power and can remain [only] as a political movement, we will not be able to free the Lebanese government from the suffocating hug of Hezbollah. Therefore, we won’t be able to reach any settlement with the Lebanese government.” Neriah said.