When US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week hosted a rare direct contact between Israeli and Lebanese officials, it may have provided a photo opportunity for the Israeli delegation, but it was a difficult ask of Lebanese negotiators.
Dragged by Iran-backed Hezbollah into an unwanted confrontation with a heavily armed and bellicose Israel, Lebanon’s government has the unenviable task of finding common ground with its southern neighbour. Negotiating while under bombardment and occupation is a tall order, and yet it is against this unpromising backdrop that Lebanese representatives will meet Israeli diplomats for more discussions in Washington today.
It is in the vital interests of the Lebanese people that these talks produce something more than just optics. Diplomatic engagement, no matter how difficult, provides a basis to not only to shore up a creaking ceasefire, but to hold Israel accountable for its actions. The presence of Mr Rubio and other US mediators – despite Washington’s questionably partisan relationship with Israel – lend the talks real weight.
But there are major challenges to be overcome. Yesterday, Lebanon’s state-run news agency reported that Israeli bulldozers and contractors were demolishing residential neighbourhoods in the border town of Khaim, another Israeli violation of a fragile US-brokered ceasefire. Hezbollah is adding to the chaos, with the Israeli military on Tuesday accusing the Iran-backed group of firing rockets at its troops in the south and launching a drone towards Israel – actions that fail to protect Lebanese civilians and encourage, rather than deter, more Israeli aggression. Meanwhile, Israel has established a so-called yellow line about 10km into Lebanese territory that it says is a necessary buffer zone to protect itself from Hezbollah.
However, if Israel truly wants to see Beirut rein in Hezbollah, it needs to prioritise diplomacy over warfare and collective punishment. Speaking on Tuesday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the country’s operation in Lebanon “is to disarm Hezbollah and remove the threat to the northern communities [of Israel], through a combination of military and diplomatic measures”. And yet, by displacing more than a million people and laying waste to entire communities, Israel is clearly favouring the armed approach which only weakens a struggling Lebanese government’s efforts to curtail Hezbollah paramilitaries.
Although not present at the talks table, other countries still have their part to play in this process. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Tuesday told French President Emmanuel Macron and the EU that a stronger Lebanese army is needed to weaken Hezbollah. The EU’s commissioner for humanitarian affairs, Hadja Lahbib, confirmed that the bloc was increasing its humanitarian contribution to Lebanon to €100 million [$117.4 million].
Further support for Lebanon’s legitimate armed forces and more help with the country’s humanitarian crisis would buttress the talks process taking place in Washington. Such steps would paint a more positive picture of Lebanon’s future.
