Amos Hochstein, the envoy tasked with mediating peace between Israel and the Shia militia Hezbollah in Lebanon, has been busy this week presenting the American proposal to all parties.
One of the big knots that needs to be solved is Hezbollah’s presence in the southern parts of the country.
From there, the militia has been able to shoot robots into northern Israel, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes. Israel wants to put an end to this and therefore demands that Hezbollah be forced back beyond the Litani River, about 30 kilometers north of the border.
To prevent Hezbollah from arming itself again
Israel and the mediators have proposed an increased military presence in southern Lebanon as a way to ensure that Hezbollah does not rebuild its weapons arsenal along the border. Hezbollah has not publicly opposed that proposal.
An earlier demand by Israel that would effectively allow it to carry out airstrikes in Lebanon when deemed necessary has been met with strong opposition.
On Tuesday, Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who is negotiating on behalf of Hezbollah, said “no sane person” would agree to such a condition. Hezbollah has also said it will not accept a ceasefire that allows Israel to enter Lebanon.
Released demand for ceasefire in Gaza
However, the group has dropped the demand for a ceasefire in Gaza. It was initially a requirement to negotiate with Israel at all, but it was abandoned after much of the Hezbollah leadership and many members were killed.
On Tuesday, envoy Hochstein said that the gaps between the parties have narrowed. Hezbollah, which indicated this week that it has largely approved the proposal, announced at the same time that it will not lay down its weapons until a truce is actually signed.
During the negotiations, it was announced that the International Criminal Court, ICC, had issued an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The political scientist and Middle East expert Anders Persson believes this will not affect the work for a ceasefire.
– None of the countries that have been involved in the negotiations are part of the ICC, so the mediation efforts will continue, he says.
“Israel is keen to bring about a ceasefire,” Anders Persson hears about the peace negotiations in the clip above.