Force Alone Won't Bring Peace: Israel Should Negotiate With Lebanon
Barak Ravid's report on Channel 12 News that the Lebanese government has proposed to Israel, through the Trump administration, to begin direct negotiations that would end the war, and may even lead to a peace agreement between the countries, should have been received with delight in Jerusalem. But according to the report, the reaction of Israel and the United States was cool and skeptical. In Israel they even explained that as far as they're concerned, it's too early to talk about diplomatic agreements and that the focus at present is on continuing the fight against Hezbollah.
But there's no contradiction between the continuation of the military battle against Hezbollah and the opening of a diplomatic channel with the Lebanese government. On the contrary, the Lebanese government is working to reduce the organization's capabilities and to outlaw its military activity, as its leaders recently declared. As opposed to the deliberate confusion between Lebanon and Hezbollah, the Lebanese government isn't a Hezbollah ally but actually one of the entities harmed by it.
The fact that the organization joined the war, despite the promises it made to the country's political leadership, has reinforced the realization in Lebanon that the country is being dragged into regional conflicts that don't serve its national interest. In light of that, the Lebanese government has approved several unusual decisions, including outlawing Hezbollah's military arm and taking steps against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps activity on its soil.
Israel shouldn't see Lebanon's proposal as an empty rhetorical gesture. It should be seen as an indication of Lebanon's desire to establish its authority against Hezbollah. There is a strategic opportunity here to work in cooperation with an Arab country that sees eye to eye with Israel and agrees with it regarding the extent of the damage that Hezbollah is causing. Rejecting the proposal out of hand is likely to weaken the Lebanese trying to restrain Hezbollah.
Not only that, recent steps against Hezbollah infrastructure in Syria prove that there is opposition there to its presence in Lebanon. In such a situation, cooperation between Israel, the Lebanese government and other entities in the region could weaken the organization more than military action alone.
Israel's experience demonstrates that military force in itself is insufficient. Even a prolonged capture of southern Lebanese lands – whether in the five points that Israel maintains or in a broader context of a new buffer zone – won't accomplish this goal. A prolonged Israeli presence will only undermine the legitimacy of the Lebanese government in its fight against Hezbollah and will provide the organization with a renewed excuse to justify arming itself.
Israel must refrain from the familiar patterns of a prolonged military entanglement in Lebanon. Opening a channel to negotiate with the Lebanese government doesn't mean giving up the fight against Hezbollah, but is a way to increase the chances that this fight will end with a weaker organization. Moreover, it will increase the chances of making progress toward peace with Lebanon.
The above article is Haaretz's lead editorial, as published in the Hebrew and English newspapers in Israel.