Press Release ([link removed])

Date: November 26, 2024

By: Sarah Stern

(202) 601-7422

[email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

EMET Expresses Concerns About the Details of the Hezbollah-Israeli Ceasefire Agreement

At 4 a.m. local time this morning, a “cease fire” took effect between Hezbollah and Israel. We are relieved for the residents of Israel’s north that there will be a 60-day reprieve from the constant alarms, drones, missiles and aerial bombardments that they have had to endure since October 8th, 2023. We also are grateful that President Biden stated, “Let’s be clear, Israel did not launch this war. The Lebanese people did not launch this war, either.”

We also are grateful that President Biden clearly remarked “If Hezbollah, or anyone else breaks the deal, Israel maintains the right of self-defense, consistent with international law.”

However, as we listen to many of the details of the agreement, we cannot help but feel concerned. The ceasefire was forged between Israel and the government of Lebanon, not between Israel and the Iranian terror proxy, Hezbollah. Hezbollah’s grip on power in Lebanon is so strong that it even controls many of the ministries of the Lebanese government. Lebanon does not even recognize Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

Upon analysis, the details of the agreement do not appear to be very different from UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701 drafted at the end of the war of 2006, clearly states that Hezbollah should move north of the Litani River. Eventually it regrouped into the Shia neighborhoods in the south of Lebanon, where residents willfully dug terror tunnels under their own living rooms and bedrooms, using them to stash weapons to be used against Israeli soldiers and civilians.

Hezbollah is a proxy force totally dependent upon Iran, and UN Security Resolution 1701 clearly states that no foreign troops should be in Lebanon. It is based upon the Taif Accords and UN Security Council Resolution 1559, which clearly demands a prohibition of all armed groups within Lebanon, with the sole exception of the Lebanese Armed Forces.

Unfortunately, both the Lebanese Armed Forces and UNIFIL, which this agreement depends upon for enforcement, have proven to be absolutely feckless against the overwhelming force of Hezbollah. Recent press reports have stated ([link removed]) that "as Hezbollah has launched war against Israel, the Lebanese Armed Forces has stood on the sidelines." ([link removed]) Hezbollah has de facto control over the military because of its many Shia officers there.

Equally, UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, has neither acted as a security force nor a tripwire, but has been overwhelmingly intimidated by Hezbollah. UNIFIL has operated in the shadows, revealing submission to Hezbollah’s entrenchment into southern Lebanon, often by brute force.

Notably absent from this agreement, is any sort of buffer zone between southern Lebanon and the residents of Israel’s north. What degree of confidence can the residents of Matula or Qaryat Shmoneh have that they can return to their homes in safety and security, without subjecting themselves and their families to a reconstituted Hezbollah and further aerial attacks?

Even while the agreement was being forged, Hezbollah continued to launch attacks into Israel, proving, once again, that although theIDF has done an outstanding job of eliminating a great deal of Hezbollah’s infrastructure, Hezbollah’s military arsenal has not been exhausted.

Turning to the conflict in Gaza, we must express our concern, as well, that President Biden stated that “Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others” will achieve a ceasefire in Gaza. Turkey, under President Erdogan on September 25th, stated, “I never considered Hamas a terrorist organization.” On April 20, 2024, Erdogan met with the late Hamas Political Chief, Ismail Haniya, urging"Palestinian unity" , and "not allowing Israel to gain the upper hand in Gaza." ([link removed]) Qatar had willingly hosted Hamas in Doha since 2012, and they are now being hosted in Turkey. ([link removed]) Egypt, although it signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has allowed tunnels into and out of Gaza, that have been filled with weapons and concrete. We know it has turned a blind eye to the build up of Hamas on its borders.

Although we would like to wholeheartedly support the ceasefire, which has been forged with good intentions, and through a very bloody and relentless war, recent history has taught us to remain extremely cautious.

Sarah N. Stern is Founder and President of the Endowment for Middle East Truth, EMET.

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