Israël and Lebanon have agreed, on Tuesday, April 14, to continue negotiations aiming for lasting peace after discussions in Washington between representatives from both countries. This marked the first such meeting since 1993. The parties agreed to start “direct negotiations at a date and place to be determined by mutual agreement,” according to a statement from the U.S. State Department cited by franceinfo. The meeting, which brought together Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad under the guidance of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, lasted over two hours.
“We have the same goal of freeing Lebanon from an occupying force called Hezbollah,” declared the Israeli ambassador to the United States. The pro-Iranian Shiite movement Hezbollah was notably absent from the meeting. On the other hand, Nada Hamadeh Moawad called for a ceasefire and the return of displaced persons. She emphasized “the need to preserve our territorial integrity and sovereignty,” as reported by Courrier international. A ceasefire came into effect in Iran on April 8, but it does not apply to Lebanon. Israel continues to target Hezbollah and has not withdrawn from the southern part of the country. The Israeli Prime Minister has set two conditions to end the conflict: the disarmament of Hezbollah and the pursuit of a “real peace agreement.”
France urges Israel and Lebanon to “seize the opportunity”
During the discussions, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. stated that France did not participate in the negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. “We would like to keep the French as far away as possible from practically everything, especially when it comes to peace negotiations. They are not necessary. They have no positive influence, especially not in Lebanon,” he elaborated. On the other hand, France joined with 17 countries on April 14 to call on Lebanon and Israel to “seize the opportunity” of these direct peace talks. Paris had advocated for the Lebanese front to be included in the ceasefire agreed upon by the U.S. with Iran. According to L’Orient-le jour, relayed by Courrier international, “Paris’s approach may not be compatible with the peace by force desired by the Israelis and Americans.”
Conversely, in 2006, France, along with the U.S., contributed to the UN resolution 1701 that ended the conflict in Lebanon on August 14, 2006. This resolution also served as a framework for the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, which took effect on November 27, 2024. Israel criticizes France for “maintaining a channel of dialogue with Hezbollah, making it an exception in the West,” as explained by the Lebanese newspaper. Emmanuel Macron convened a new national defense and security council meeting on the situation in Iran and the Middle East on Wednesday, April 15. This meeting took place two days before a video conference on a “purely defensive mission,” separate from that of the U.S., concerning the Strait of Hormuz, as highlighted by BFM TV.
