by Fady Noun

Last night, senior diplomats from Israel and Lebanon took part in a meeting in the US capital, chaired by the US secretary of state. This is the first time the two met since the failed 1983 agreement under then President Amine Gemayel. Hezbollah's hostility remains. Former Lebanese ambassador to the United States, Simon Karam, is expected to lead the Lebanese delegation.

Beirut (AsiaNews) – Israeli and Lebanese representatives yesterday reached a “preliminary agreement” in Washington that paves the way for “direct talks” between the two countries, with the hope, in the international community, of subduing the winds of war blowing fiercely in the region.

This meeting comes in the wake of the recent military escalation that culminated in the devastating attack of 8 April, which is still vividly remembered by a Lebanese population still under shock.

In this regard, President Joseph Aoun expressed hope that the talks would be "the beginning of the end of the suffering of the Lebanese people." US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who organised the meeting, said that the talks are a "historic opportunity", the first of its kind between the two countries since the agreement of 17 May 1983, under the presidency of Amine Gemayel, which eventually collapsed.

The three-way meeting at the State Department lasted for two hours, attended by Secretary Rubio, State Department Counsellor Michael Needham, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh Mouawad.

A joint press release provided a summary of what said during the meeting. According to the statement, “All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue.”

For this to happen, Lebanon has made full respect of the ceasefire agreement of 27 November 2024, a condition for holding upcoming direct talks. This agreement was brokered by the United States and endorsed by President Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri on behalf of Hezbollah.

Yesterday, President Aoun received explicit support for this peace initiative from representatives of the Druze and Maronite communities, as well as from former President Amine Gemayel.

Hezbollah, for its part, expressed its hostility to the meeting, with its Secretary General Naim Qassem describing it as “capitulation”. He did so despite being in a precarious position in southern Lebanon, where the Israelis have effectively seized Bent Jbeil, a Hezbollah stronghold. It is here, in the city's stadium, that the party’s late leader, Hassan Nasrallah, delivered his “victory speech" after the Israeli withdrawal in 2000.

However, apparently under pressure from Washington, Israel seems to have agreed to a de-escalation in Beirut and its suburbs, where no airstrikes have been reported since last Thursday, following "Black Wednesday”, during which Israeli air raids killed 357 people and wounded more than a thousand in the space of ten minutes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's surprise acceptance of the Lebanese proposal for direct negotiations came after this deadly escalation.

In a joint statement, the United States congratulated both sides on this progress, which Marco Rubio described as “historic”, reiterating its support for continued discussions and for the Lebanese government’s plans to restore the state’s monopoly on weapons and end what it considers “excessive” Iranian influence.

Washington also expressed hope that these talks would go beyond the 2024 deal and lead to “a comprehensive peace agreement”.

US officials further reiterated their support for Israel’s right to defend itself against ongoing Hezbollah attacks, emphasising that any deal to cease hostilities should be reached between the governments involved, under US mediation, not through parallel channels.

Finally, playing, as the US administration often does, the game of money and investments, US officials expressed the belief that these negotiations could pave the way for substantial aid for Lebanon’s reconstruction, economic recovery, and expanded investment opportunities for both countries.

The Israeli perspective

For its part, Israel expressed its support for the disarmament of all non-state armed groups and the dismantling of infrastructure deemed terrorist-related in Lebanon, affirming its willingness to cooperate with the Lebanese government to achieve this objective while respecting the security of the populations of both countries.

The Jewish state also expressed its readiness to engage in "direct negotiations" to resolve all outstanding disputes and achieve a lasting peace that promotes regional stability and prosperity.

Nada Hamadeh Mouawad: "A constructive meeting"

For its part, Lebanon stressed the urgent need to fully implement the November 2024 declaration of cessation of hostilities, reaffirming the principles of territorial integrity and full state sovereignty. It calls for a ceasefire and the adoption of concrete steps to address the acute humanitarian crisis that the country continues to suffer as a result of the conflict.

The three parties agreed to launch direct negotiations at a date and location to be determined later by mutual agreement.

Speaking after the two-hour meeting, Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad said that the preliminary meeting was “constructive”. She thanked "the American side for hosting this meeting and facilitating the discussions." She also “reiterated the urgent need for the full implementation of the November 2024 cessation of hostilities agreement,” while emphasising “the integrity of our territory and the full sovereignty of the State over all Lebanese land.”

Yechiel: The briefcase and the swimsuit…

For his part, Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter hailed a “wonderful exchange” on Tuesday, noting that Israel and Lebanon “discovered today that we’re on the same side of the equation, and that’s the most positive thing we could have come away with.”

“We are both united in liberating Lebanon from an occupation power dominated by Iran called Hezbollah,” he said.

He event evoked the prospect of a future where Lebanese and Israelis would only cross their borders with a briefcase or… a swimsuit, for pleasure and tourism, sign of a real easing of tensions between the parties.

The Israeli ambassador went on to say that Israel does not want France involved in negotiations with Lebanon. "We like to keep the French as far away as possible from pretty much everything, but particularly when it comes to peace negotiations," he said, highlighting the gap between Paris and Netanyahu.

A preliminary step

It should be noted that the Washington meeting is only a preliminary step. It is intended to pave the way for direct negotiations, the date of which depends on how the situation on the ground evolves.

According to our information, the former Lebanese ambassador to the United States, Simon Karam, is expected to lead these talks, as part of a delegation that could be expanded as the discussions progress. On the Israeli side, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will head the Israeli delegation.

It should be noted that Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the regional conflict with Iran on 2 March, 15 months after a ceasefire with the Jewish state on 27 November 2024. Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,000 people – including nearly 357 in the unprecedented deadly attacks of Wednesday, 8 April, and displaced more than a million people, despite calls from the international community for a ceasefire.

• israel
• lebanon
• iran
• united states
• talks
• hezbollah
• war
• peace