Biden advisers to visit Israel tomorrow seeking deal to end Lebanon war
U.S. President Joe Biden's senior advisers Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk will arrive in Israel on Thursday to try to close a deal that would end the war in Lebanon and allow displaced civilians from both sides of the border to return to their homes, three sources with direct knowledge of the trip told U.S. news portal Axios.
Israeli and U.S. officials said they believe that after the blows Hezbollah has suffered in the past two months, including the assassination of its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, it is finally willing to disconnect itself from Hamas in Gaza.
A deal that would end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah could be achieved within a few weeks, Israeli and U.S. officials said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting with several ministers and senior leaders of the Israeli army and the Israeli intelligence services on Tuesday night to discuss the potential deal, Israeli officials said.
Israeli officials said Hochstein was waiting for Israeli leaders to decide about whether to move forward with the deal before he traveled to Israel.
The fact that he and McGurk are coming suggests Netanyahu is in favor of pursuing the deal, Axios quoted the officials as saying.
On Tuesday, Hezbollah announced its leadership council had appointed Sheikh Naim Qassem to succeed Nasrallah. According to a report on Al-Arabiya, he was appointed now in order to focus on getting a ceasefire deal.
Hochstein visited Beirut last week and got a positive response from Lebanese officials about the possibility of moving toward a ceasefire regardless of the war in Gaza.
On the Israeli side, there have also been signs of more openness to ending the war in Lebanon.
Israeli officials said the army is very close to ending its ground operation in the villages in southern Lebanon that are close to the border with Israel.
The army "has recommended to Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant that now would be a good time to work out a diplomatic solution to end the fighting with Hezbollah and avoid getting bogged down in a war in Lebanon," the officials said, according to Axios.
Israeli officials said the deal being discussed is based on re-implementing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 that ended the 2006 war in Lebanon.
The deal being considered envisions an announcement of a ceasefire that is followed by a 60-day transition period, the officials said.
During this transition period, Hezbollah would move its heavy weapons north of the Litani River and away from the Israeli border. The Lebanese army would deploy about 8,000 troops along the border with Israel who would join UNIFIL peacekeepers there and the Israeli forces would gradually withdraw to the Israeli side of the border.
Two weeks ago, Israel gave the U.S. a document with its conditions for a diplomatic solution to end the war in Lebanon, Axios reported.
One Israeli demand is that the Israeli army be allowed to engage in "active enforcement" to ensure Hezbollah doesn't rearm and rebuild its military infrastructure in the areas of southern Lebanon that are close to the border.
Israeli officials said that while this condition is not going to be part of the agreement with Lebanon, Israel wants a letter of assurances from the Biden administration that the U.S. would support this "active enforcement."
Hochstein and McGurk are expected to meet with Netanyahu, Gallant and Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, Israeli officials said.
Hochstein is expected to present a formal proposal to them for the ceasefire agreement, which he drafted after hearing both sides' positions, the officials said.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/308942 |