Israel's demands for Lebanon peace talks hit U.S. roadblock
As reported by Reuters, citing the Axios portal, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submitted documents to the White House on Thursday outlining terms for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to the American side, the proposed demands are unacceptable.
According to Israeli officials quoted by Axios, one of the conditions is to allow the Israeli armed forces to engage in "active law enforcement" to ensure that Hezbollah fighters do not rearm or rebuild military infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Israel also demands that its air force have the freedom of operation in Lebanese airspace.
An American official told Axios that it is very unlikely that the authorities in Beirut and the international community would agree to Israel's terms, as they undermine Lebanon's sovereignty. The White House and the Israeli embassy in Washington declined to comment.
The document was handed over just before President Biden's envoy Amos Hochstein's visit to Lebanon on Monday. The Washington administration representative will meet there with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Nabih Berri said on Sunday on the Saudi television channel Al Arabiya that Hochstein's visit is "the last chance before the elections in the U.S. (scheduled for November 5) to resolve" the conflict in Lebanon.
As reported by Axios, Hochstein insists on deploying at least 8,000 Lebanese soldiers in southern Lebanon as part of the diplomatic settlement. The White House envoy also wants to expand the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) to support the Lebanese army at the border with Israel.
