Normalizing ties with Lebanon has emerged as Israel’s new emphasis after it greatly weakened Iran-backed Hezbollah during a devastating war, raising concerns over forcing such a long-sought goal after decades of conflict, according to officials and analysts.
Lebanon has long stated that it will be the last Arab country to normalize or sign a peace agreement with Israel. But would that be possible now?
The call to normalize ties surface when the United States, which along with France brokered the Nov. 27 cease-fire agreement that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war, announced that it was bringing together Lebanon and Israel for talks to resolve diplomatically “several issues,” including the release of Lebanese detainees and land border disputes.
There are 13 disputed border points along the Blue Line, including the village of Ghajar, Shebaa Farms and the hills around Kfarchoubaa. The 75-mile temporary line was set by the United Nations in 2000 to confirm withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon after 22 years of military occupation, which began with the 1978 invasion
Added to them were five hilltop strategic positions that Israel refused to relinquish when it withdrew its forces from south Lebanon on Feb. 18, which the Nov. 27 cease-fire accord called for.
The first immediate outcome of the fresh U.S. diplomatic push was the release this week of five Lebanese, including an Army soldier, who were snatched by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon during the war with Hezbollah that started in support of Gaza in October 2023.
About seven other civilians and Hezbollah followers were to regain freedom, according to an official Lebanese source, who told UPI, “We want the return of all prisoners.”
The source, who requested not to be named, explained that the negotiations were being handled by the five-nation military committee entrusted with supervising the implementation of the ceasefire as part of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended an Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006.
The focus is on the release of the Lebanese prisoners, Israel’s withdrawal from the five strategic points and “rectifying” the 13 disputed border points to resolve the border dispute.
The monitoring committee, co-chaired by the U.S. and France, also includes Lebanon, Israel and the U.N. peacekeeping force.
The Lebanese official source emphasized that the committee is “a military one,” with specific tasks.
UPI