Amos Hochstein, in his capacity as President Joe Biden’s special representative and not as an Israeli officer, suggested to French President Emmanuel Macron to propose a peace initiative for Lebanon.

Presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron immediately issued a statement: “It is time to reach a settlement on the Israeli-Lebanese border that guarantees security and allows civilians to return to their homes.

The exchanges of fire that have taken place since 7 October, and particularly in the last two weeks, threaten to widen the conflict and harm civilians.

That is why we have been working together in recent days on a joint call for a temporary ceasefire to give diplomacy a chance to succeed and avoid further escalations on both sides of the border. »

This declaration was approved within the hour by Australia, Canada, the European Union, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Qatar.

Washington and Paris hope to negotiate a ceasefire or a three-week truce, during which Amos Hochstein will shuttle diplomatically between Lebanon and Israel, until a comprehensive agreement is reached, similar to what happened in 2022 when a deal on the delimitation of the maritime border between the two countries was reached.

Of course, Israel rejected this proposal, as it did the one for peace in Gaza. All this fuss on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly was nothing more than a show to allow the IDF to continue its war while world leaders took turns at the podium.

☞ The Israeli-Lebanese maritime border agreement provided for the distribution of areas for the exploitation of hydrocarbon resources. It subsequently turned out that the data available at the time was false and that the part allocated to Lebanon is far less abundant than previously thought. Amos Hochstein is a world-renowned expert in oil development.

☞ It is important to recall that during the five weeks following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood (October 7, 2023), the IDF shelled the extreme south of Lebanon to prevent any incursion by Hezbollah. The latter reacted only after the displacement of about 100,000 Lebanese, the murder of a Reuters photographer and the wounding of six other journalists. When the international press refused to cover this dangerous front, Hezbollah decided to retaliate and cause the displacement of 100,000 Israelis.

There is no doubt, therefore, that Israel is solely responsible for the ongoing conflict.

☞ On September 17 and 18, the Mossad launched an operation to detonate the pagers and walkie-talkies of Hezbollah’s civil security service (cf. VIN 1964). This equipment was not used by Hezbollah fighters, but by its security service, equivalent to the municipal police in the towns where Hezbollah won the elections.

This operation constitutes a violation of Article 7 of the Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices (known as the Geneva Convention of 10 October 1989). It has been unanimously condemned by all UN member states and has not been publicly claimed by Israel.

☞ Immediately thereafter, the IDF began bombing many Lebanese cities and targeted assassinations of Hezbollah commanders, while Hezbollah fought back.

☞ These operations correspond to a declaration by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, on 23 September, before the Israeli High Court, acknowledging that it had lost to Hamas in Gaza (cf. VIN 2000)

This is the editorial from our paywalled “Voltaire, international newsletter”, n°101. For more information, do not hesitate to subscribe: 500€ per year.