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Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) National President Morton A. Klein released the following statement:
It is despicable and outrageous that the Biden administration reportedly threatened and exerted enormous pressure on Israel, including by withholding shipments of essential arms and equipment, and by threatening to have the UN Security Council impose severe measures and sanctions on Israel, to force the Israeli government to agree to a dangerous “ceasefire deal” with Lebanon. Biden and his hostile-to-Israel administration are apparently using every lever of power available to them prior to leaving office to harm Israel and protect the terrorist Islamic Republic of Iran its proxy terror groups bent on murdering Jews and others.
As Senator Ted Cruz stated today: “[T]he Biden administration has spent the last four years pathologically obsessed with undermining Israel and boosting Iran, including by coercing our Israeli allies to cede maritime territory to Hezbollah. They are now using the transition period to the Trump administration and a Republican Congress to try to lock in those efforts – and to constrain the incoming administration – by establishing what they believe to be irreversible diplomatic, legal, and military policies . . .” (Regarding the horrific Lebanon deal, see ZOA’s condemnation of the deal at “Surrendering Israel’s Maritime Waters/Gas Fields, Under Biden’s Pressure, is Illegal and Gives Terrorist Hezbollah Billions,” Oct. 12, 2022.)
The Lebanon “ceasefire deal” protects and ensures terrorist organization Hezbollah’s survival, and calls for Israel to withdraw over a 60-day period from hard-won positions in Lebanon that are needed to protect Israel’s northern communities. (We’ve put “ceasefire” in quotes because an ordinary “ceasefire” keeps everyone in their current positions – but this “ceasefire” deal requires Israel’s withdrawal.)
The deal means that the necessary main objectives of the war will not be achieved: The 80,000 Jews evacuated from northern Israel due to Hezbollah’s constant bombardments will still be unable to truly safely return to their communities to rebuild their homes that were destroyed by Hezbollah’s rockets. The deal fails to establish a proper buffer zone in Lebanon maintained by or with Israeli forces to protect northern Israel. Instead, Israelis are being asked to rely on the feckless Lebanese Army – which throughout the decades, has failed to meet its obligations to contain and disarm Hezbollah, and a cumbersome so-called tripartite mechanism.
Further, the fact that the deal enables the Hezbollah terror organization to survive means that all of Israel will still be at risk. Even if Hezbollah (which is not a signatory to the deal) abides by the deal’s requirement to withdraw to north of the Litani River, Hezbollah’s long-range rockets can reach northern and central Israel from north of the Litani. Moreover, history demonstrates that Hezbollah is unlikely to abide by the deal: Hezbollah has continuously violated its existing obligation under UNSC Resolution 1701 (2006) to remain north of the Litani River and its obligations under UNSC Resolutions 1559 (2004), 1680 (2006) and 1701 (2006) to disband and disarm.
Indeed, Hezbollah has already violated the ceasefire deal twice within hours of the ceasefire going into effect, endangering northern Israel. Eight vehicles and a motorcycle filled with Hezbollah terrorists arrived in the Lebanese village of Kfarkela, which overlooks the northern Israeli town of Metula. Metula Council leader David Azoulay noted: “Nothing at all has changed since October 7.” Yet at a briefing for the Jewish community this morning – after Hezbollah’s violations, Biden envoy Amos Hochstein had the gall to lie, claiming that the deal enables Israelis “to return to normalcy.” Hardly.
The deal also calls for financing the rebuilding of southern Lebanon. What about rebuilding northern Israel? There is no mention of this.
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