On Wednesday, the U.S., France, and several allied nations issued a unified call for an immediate 21-day cease-fire to enable negotiations in the intensifying conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which has resulted in over 600 deaths in Lebanon in recent days.
The joint statement, negotiated during the U.N. General Assembly in New York, emphasized that the ongoing violence is “intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation.”
The statement read, “We call for an immediate 21-day cease-fire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy,” urging both the Israeli and Lebanese governments to endorse the temporary cease-fire without delay.
While there was no immediate response from either the Israeli or Lebanese governments or from Hezbollah, senior U.S. officials confirmed that all parties were aware of the cease-fire proposal.
Representatives from both Israel and Lebanon had earlier reiterated their support for the U.N. resolution that ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The U.S. hopes that this proposal could foster long-term stability along the Israel-Lebanon border. In recent months, exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah have displaced tens of thousands, and intensified attacks in the past week have heightened fears of a broader Middle East conflict.
Though Hezbollah is not expected to sign the cease-fire, U.S. officials expressed confidence that Lebanon’s government would coordinate its acceptance with the group.
They also anticipated that Israel might welcome the proposal and potentially formally agree to it when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the U.N. General Assembly on Friday.
While the cease-fire specifically applies to the Israel-Lebanon border, U.S. officials indicated that they hope the three-week pause in fighting could serve as an opportunity to revive stalled negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, which has been in conflict for nearly a year in Gaza.
Netanyahu’s office clarified that the cease-fire proposal from the U.S. and France is still under review. Netanyahu, currently en route to the U.S. for the U.N. General Assembly, has not yet issued a response.
During Netanyahu’s absence, Israel’s acting Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Israel Katz, rejected the cease-fire, stating that Israel would continue fighting in the north “with full force until victory” and that efforts would be made to return the tens of thousands of Israeli citizens evacuated from the northern regions.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues its operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, in addition to ongoing efforts in Gaza.
The international call for a cease-fire is supported by the U.S., Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, the U.K., Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.
According to U.S. officials, the cease-fire proposal came together swiftly, spearheaded by President Joe Biden’s national security team, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. They worked with world leaders during the U.N. General Assembly in New York to garner support for the plan.
Attacks in Lebanon (Photo: AFP)
Blinken initially proposed the idea to France’s foreign minister on Monday and expanded his efforts that evening at a dinner with foreign ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized democracies.
By Wednesday morning, Blinken had met with Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers, gaining the approval of Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan.
Subsequent meetings between Blinken, Senior White House Adviser Amos Hochstein, and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati led to Lebanon’s acceptance of the deal. U.S. officials, including Sullivan and McGurk, were also in contact with Israeli authorities to discuss the proposal.
U.S. and French efforts culminated in a conversation between President Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, during which the cease-fire plan was finalized. Blinken is expected to meet with Netanyahu’s top strategic adviser in New York on Thursday before the Prime Minister’s arrival.
According to an anonymous Israeli official, Netanyahu has tentatively agreed to consider the deal, but only if it ensures the return of Israeli civilians to their homes in the north.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, addressing the U.N. Security Council during a special meeting, urged both Israel and Lebanon to accept the cease-fire without delay, asserting that “war is not unavoidable.”
Lebanese Prime Minister Mikati expressed his support for the French-U.S. plan, which he said “enjoys international support and would put an end to this dirty war.” He also called on the U.N. Security Council to ensure Israel’s withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territories.
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador, Danny Danon, voiced support for a cease-fire and the return of people to their homes near the border, but stated that “it will happen, either after a war or before a war. We hope it will be before.”
Speaking later before the Security Council, Danon emphasized that Israel does not seek a full-scale war, but made no mention of the proposed temporary cease-fire.
Both Danon and Mikati reiterated their governments’ commitment to a U.N. resolution that ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. That resolution, which has yet to be fully implemented, called for a cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, and the disarmament of all non-governmental armed groups, including Hezbollah.
Earlier on Wednesday, President Biden, speaking on ABC’s “The View,” warned of the possibility of an “all-out war” but also expressed hope for a settlement that could “fundamentally change the whole region.”
He suggested that a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah might help facilitate a broader peace agreement, including a resolution to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The war in Gaza began nearly a year ago, following Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, which killed around 1,200 people and led to hostages being taken. Israel’s subsequent military offensive has resulted in the deaths of more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.
President Biden emphasized his commitment to securing a cease-fire, saying, “It’s possible, and I’m using every bit of energy I have with my team… to get this done. There’s a desire to see change in the region.”
In addition to the cease-fire proposal, the U.S. has increased pressure on Iran and Hezbollah by imposing new sanctions on over a dozen ships and other entities involved in illicit shipments of Iranian petroleum, which are believed to finance the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah.
