The two sides are in direct negotiations that are being facilitated by the U.S. in its seventh round in Rome. Beirut’s main goal in these talks is to get Israel to pull troops out of southern Lebanon, in stages.
Talks are based on an agreement reached in Washington in June. The agreement is for the disarmament of Hezbollah and a phased Israeli pullout, followed by the first deployment of the Lebanese army in “pilot zones.
The diplomatic effort started after Hezbollah’s March incursion into the Middle East war with Israel in support of Iran with rockets. Violence has abated since the June framework and a preliminary deal between the U.S. and Iran, but there have been occasional Israeli raids and shelling and demolitions in southern villages.
Pilot Zones and Internal Backlash
Last month, Israel’s military pulled out of one of the first pilot zones, Zawtar al-Gharbiya, on the outskirts of which Israeli troops had earlier withdrawn. The Lebanese army has then been deployed, enabling local people to return to their homes in safety to inspect.
All this progress has not led to an end of the conflict, however, given that critics charge the negotiations to be a national surrender. Lebanese activist Raina Masri said that Lebanon was “gaining nothing, and losing everything. She told President Joseph Aoun that he was unconstitutional in negotiating with an enemy state and not representing the people.
In a recent televised speech, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem made a similar statement. He described the direct talks as “shameful, humiliating and successive compromises” for Lebanon and strongly condemned President Aoun as “biased and divisive.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam yesterday assured his cabinet that the country is taking steps to a complete, phased Israeli withdrawal. But Masri is very skeptical, noting that Israel still continues to bomb houses and obliterate the history of many of the southern villages.
In the meantime, however, a U.S. State Department official said this week’s Rome talks were designed to take the next step in expanding the pilot zone process, settling pending border issues and developing a full peace and security deal.
Amb. Michel Issa, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, warned both parties to take care. He said a rushed process would pose a threat to the very civilians the agreement is meant to defend, but would result in a much more efficient operation of the future pilot zones if they take the time to set up a clear, workable process now.
The Israeli commitment to these withdrawals will be put to the test in the future, observers say, as Israel chooses pilot zones where it is under full control.
