US envoy Amos Hochstein pleaded on Monday for a full and transparent implementation of UN Resolution 1701 to put an end to the raging conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, though a ceasefire agreement remains complicated amid the surge in violence.
After a meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri, Hochstein said Washington wants to end the Israel-Hezbollah war “as soon as possible,” stressing that “it is not in Lebanon's interests to link its fate to other conflicts.”
He underscored that resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict, would be the basis of a new ceasefire, but would require more than just public commitments from the warring parties.
“We have to know that this is not going to another round of conflict in a month or year or two years. That is why both sides simply committing to 1701 is just not enough” after years of weak implementation.
Hochstein reaffirmed Washington's determination to support the Lebanese government in its efforts to restore stability to the country. He said he was “sorry that 11 months of efforts to resolve the military conflict between Israel and Hezbollah have come to nothing.”
On his sixth visit to Lebanon in a year, Hochstein’s task remains complicated, given the conditions of each side. Lebanon is calling for Security Council Resolution 1701 to be implemented, even if it means discussing the details of a long-term plan to guarantee stability in southern Lebanon at a later date, while Tel Aviv is putting conditions for the implementation of 1701.
But what formula for the implementation of 1701? According to Israeli and American officials quoted by the Axios website, Hochstein advocates for “a major deployment of Lebanese armed forces in southern Lebanon, with at least 8,000 troops stationed there.”
The American envoy will also propose “strengthening UNIFIL's mandate to help the Lebanese army prevent the deployment of individuals or armed groups not under the control of the Lebanese government.”
However, Israel has more conditions on the table. Last week, Tel Aviv submitted a document to the United States outlining its conditions for a diplomatic resolution to end the war in Lebanon.
This document, sent by Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer to Hochstein, includes principles that Israel insists must be part of any diplomatic solution regarding Hezbollah.
One of Israel’s key demands is to allow the Israeli army to engage in “active enforcement” to prevent Hezbollah from rearming and rebuilding military infrastructure in southern Lebanon near the border.
Another demand is to grant the Israeli Air Force freedom of operation in Lebanese airspace.
However, these two demands contradict resolution 1701, which mandates that the Lebanese army and UNIFIL enforce the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
An Israeli official noted that these conditions represent “1701 with increased reinforcement.”
He added, “Our main message is that if the Lebanese army and UNIFIL do more, the Israeli army will do less, and vice versa.”
A day before Hochstein’s visit, Berri stated that he would “oppose any modification or addition to UN Resolution 1701.”
In an interview with Al-Arabiya on Sunday evening, Berri claimed that Hochstein's visit marked “the last chance for the United States to reach a diplomatic solution before the US presidential elections” on November 5.
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