Lebanon Responds to the Ceasefire Proposal with Israel

Lebanon Responds to the Ceasefire Proposal with Israel
November 17, 2024, 12:10 pm

تصعيد جوي إسرائيلي يطال معابر سوريا ولبنان

Political sources reported to Al-Hurra on Sunday that Lebanon's response to the draft proposal put forward by the United States for a ceasefire will be provided "within the next 48 hours," amidst ongoing Israeli strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut and other areas.

The Lebanese reply comes after the Speaker of the Parliament, Nabih Berri, received the draft from U.S. Ambassador Lisa Johnson, while Hezbollah was also given a copy of the proposal, which includes 13 points.

According to political sources, the draft "does not include any form of freedom of movement for the Israeli army in Lebanon or the deployment of Atlantic forces."

The proposal does include a clause regarding the committee that will oversee the implementation of Resolution 1701, along with the countries that will participate in this committee, to which Lebanon has officially objected to the inclusion of the United Kingdom and Germany.

Additionally, discussions within the Lebanese political framework are focused on "the mechanism for implementing the clause related to restricting weapons in the area south of the Litani River to the Lebanese army and cooperating with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to prevent any other weapons."

Sources emphasized that Lebanon is committed to all provisions of UN Resolution 1701, particularly those clauses requiring the withdrawal of Israel from Lebanese territory in accordance with Resolution 425.

Visitors to the Speaker of the Parliament also conveyed his expression of "cautious optimism" regarding the success of the negotiations, affirming that "the coming week will be decisive," determining whether there will be a ceasefire or continued Israeli escalation.

Sources close to the caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati indicated that "serious efforts are underway to reach a ceasefire agreement."

The Biden administration has been working on a proposal for a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, according to a set of U.S.-Israeli understandings concerning security arrangements demanded by Israel, most notably the dismantling of Hezbollah's military infrastructure; however, there are still outstanding issues.

On Friday, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on Iran to persuade Hezbollah to accept the ceasefire agreement, while Berri emphasized that the proposal does not include any clauses granting Israel the right to intervene inside Lebanese territory, stating: "We will not accept any violation of our sovereignty."

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