Israel-Lebanon talks after 30 years: What was agreed in US
Negotiations between representatives of Israel and Lebanon took place with US mediation (Photo: Barak Ravid X)
A meeting between representatives of Lebanon and Israel took place in Washington, marking the start of direct negotiations between the countries for the first time in nearly 30 years, reports The Times of Israel.
The talks were held in a separate room at the US State Department. They were facilitated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, State Department advisor Michael Needham, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, and US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz.
The joint statement issued said that the meeting was not the actual start of peace negotiations, but rather a preparatory step toward achieving them.
US as mediator again in the negotiations
"The United States congratulated the two countries on this historic milestone and expressed its support for further talks, and for the government of Lebanon’s plans to restore the monopoly of force and to end Iran’s overbearing influence," the statement said.
Washington expressed hope that the negotiations can go beyond the 2024 agreement and lead to a comprehensive peace deal, the statement said, referring to the previous ceasefire in Lebanon brokered by the Biden administration.
At that time, the ceasefire required Hezbollah to disarm and withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon — goals that largely remained unfulfilled.
In its statement, the US also expressed support for Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah's ongoing attacks and emphasized that any ceasefire in Lebanon must be the result of negotiations between Jerusalem and Beirut, not linked to any other tracks.
The Times of Israel recalls that Iran sought to include Lebanon in the ceasefire agreement with the US, and although Pakistani mediators stated that the two-week ceasefire currently in effect was supposed to cover Hezbollah, Jerusalem and Washington rejected those conditions.
Accordingly, hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah continued throughout the week after the ceasefire in Iran took effect.
What Lebanon wants
The joint statement acknowledges Lebanon's position in support of the urgent need to restore the November 2024 ceasefire agreement.
The joint statement says that Beirut emphasizes the principles of territorial integrity and full state sovereignty, while calling for a ceasefire and concrete measures to address and alleviate the serious humanitarian crisis that the country continues to experience as a result of the ongoing conflict.
Israel's position
Regarding Israel, the joint statement says that Jerusalem during today's meeting expressed its support for the disarmament of all non-state terrorist groups and the elimination of all terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon, and expressed its commitment to cooperate with the Lebanese government to achieve this goal and ensure the security of the people of both countries.
"Israel also expressed its commitment to engage in direct negotiations to resolve all outstanding issues and achieve a durable peace that will strengthen security, stability and prosperity in the region," the statement says, which is seen as a gesture in favor of diplomatic solutions over military ones after Jerusalem had for weeks ignored Beirut's calls for direct talks.
"All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue," the joint statement adds, without announcing a specific date for the next meeting.
On April 9, Israel announced its intention to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon to establish peace and disarm Hezbollah.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that the ceasefire between the US and Iran does not apply to combat operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and therefore operations in that region will continue.
