Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the United States and France, aided in brokering a ceasefire between belligerents Israel and Hezbollah. President Joe Biden of the United States and President Emmaneuel Macron of the French Republic actually negotiated with Lebanon and Israel instead of Hezbollah and Israel, framing the agreement so the Lebanese government assumes culpability for preventing Hezbollah from any operations on Israeli soil.
The agreement states the Lebanese government will take steps to ensure Hezbollah and other armed groups cease military action in Israel, and in turn, the Israeli government will not perform offensive military action against any targets in sovereign Lebanese territory.
The ceasefire agreement is actually a promise to enforce UNSC Resolution 1701, which requires Hezbollah to remove units near the unofficial border between Lebanon and Israel, known as the “Blue Line.” Israel claims this clause of the resolution was violated, leading to responsive military action from their end.
Israeli and Lebanese forces will move away from this “Blue Line” in a synchronized manner, with Hezbollah being forced away from the border entirely. The only armed units permitted in the area under this ceasefire agreement will be the Lebanese military and United Nations Peacekeeping corps.
The United States and France will fulfill their capacities as permanent members of the UNSC by continuously monitoring both Israel and Lebanon, to ensure Hezbollah is removed and the area is demilitarized.
The United States military will not be permitted to have any sort of presence in the area.
Although Lebanese officials state they will not allow any violations to Lebanese sovereignty by non-governmental groups such as Hezbollah, Israel remains doubtful, claiming they reserve the right to respond with military action if Hezbollah attacks.
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3,500 people have died in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanese territory, with 1.2 million Lebanese displaced as a result. 80 died in Israel, with 50 civilian casualties, forcing 60,000 into displacement, attesting to the truly destructive nature of conflict in the Southern Levant.
US President Joe Biden agreed that the people of Gaza “have been through hell,” but that the recent ceasefire agreement is a reminder that “peace is possible.” The agreement seems to elicit positive bipartisan responses, as Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat (a party which has a liberal majority, with many calling for peace in Gaza internally) from Virginia, called it a “welcome development for the region.” Sen. Mark Warner also chairs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which is dedicated to the oversight of the entirety of the US intelligence community. Additionally, Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican (a more conservative party with many calling for Israeli support internally) from nearby South Carolina also supported the deal, commenting that he was pleased to see peace attained in the region.
However, the seemingly bipartisan laud is not universal, as Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a recently controversial figure among liberals, accused Democrats of withholding weaponry from Israel to pressure them into a ceasefire agreement, a claim not universally substantiated.
Moreover, 11 senators, including Cruz, signed a document aiming to prevent the United Nations from removing Israel from the General Assembly, as the document says if such an action is accomplished, the United States will “re-evaluate its relationship with the United Nations and Palestinians.”
This document could very well be reality, as the Republican and conservative controlled legislature, judiciary, and executive branch will permit Republican legislation for the next four years across the United States.
Written by Eshan Korat
