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, sai...
