The United States is increasing diplomatic pressure to move forward with its proposed 21-day truce between Israeli forces and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah on the border between Lebanon and Israel. Representatives of President Joe Biden’s Government met this Thursday with Israeli officials in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, to address the situation in Lebanon, as reported by the White House. “The situation is intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of regional escalation,” said its spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre.
“A diplomatic solution is key,” Jean-Pierre pointed out in his daily press conference, hours after the US Government made public its joint proposal with France, backed by the G-7 and Arab countries. “The statement was, indeed, coordinated with the Israeli side. Now talks are taking place in New York, our teams are holding talks,” he explained.
So far, neither Hezbollah nor Israel have given a formal response to the plan, which seeks to be a first step towards opening negotiations, although the Israeli Government has already made it clear that it rejects any truce. The negotiations seek to resolve not only the clashes of recent days, in which more than 600 people have died and 10% of Lebanon’s population has been displaced, but also the tensions that have been experienced on both sides of the Blue Line. (demarcation between Lebanon and Israel) since the beginning of the war in Gaza and that have forced residents of the north of Israel and the south of its Arab neighbor to evacuate from their homes.
Washington also hopes that, if successful, the plan could pave the way to achieving the Biden Administration’s great objective in the Middle East: a ceasefire in Gaza that would allow an end to the war between Israel and the radical Palestinian guerrilla Hamas. when it is about to complete a year after its beginning.
Jean-Pierre did not want to comment on the prospects of Israel giving its approval to the proposal, after ten months in which the United States has tried, without success, to obtain the agreement of the parties for a truce in Gaza. He did clarify that, after the intense contacts in recent days both with the Israeli Government and with Lebanese representatives in New York – the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, spoke with his Lebanese counterpart, Makati, on Wednesday -, “we have felt with “confidence enough to present the plan.”
Knowing what happens outside is understanding what will happen inside, don’t miss anything.
KEEP READING
“We cannot stop, we have to keep trying, although it depends on the parties how they want to respond,” the spokesperson pointed out.
In London, the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, spoke similarly. Speaking after a meeting with his counterparts from the United Kingdom and Australia, the Pentagon official insisted that “we face the risk of indiscriminate war. “Another full-scale war would be devastating for both Israel and Lebanon.”
Austin insisted that the diplomatic option is still on the table. “Israel and Lebanon can choose a different path despite the escalation of hostilities in recent days. “A diplomatic solution is still viable.” The Secretary of Defense, however, indicated that the United States will not change its commitment to assist Israel so that it can protect its territory.
