Subterfuge in Ceasefire Calls

Early Thursday morning, the United States, the United Kingdom and nine other nations were joined by the European Union in calling for an immediate temporary ceasefire ‘to give a real chance to a diplomatic settlement,’ the concern being that the situation between Lebanon and Israel is intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation.

That call was preceded by a separate statement from US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron who have worked together on a call for a temporary ceasefire to give diplomacy a chance to succeed and avoid further escalations. They appealed for broad endorsement and ‘the immediate support of the Governments of Israel and Lebanon.’

But Hezbollah is not mentioned in either of these two ceasefire calls. Both make it seem as if Israel is fighting Lebanon. Yet asking for support from the Government of Lebanon is futile as it has been ineffective for many months and Hezbollah dominates the country.

The Israelis appear to have been caught by surprise, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a flight to the USA to address the United Nations General Assembly. When optimism about a ceasefire spread rapidly, Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying he had not responded to the call and Israel was not easing off in its air campaign against Hezbollah.

While a senior official referred to the ceasefire call as an “important breakthrough”, many Israelis are angry at the suggestion, highlighting that the north of Israel has been under rocket fire for eleven months.

Regional leaders from the north of the country emphasised that Hezbollah has both the capability and the desire to commit attacks similar to last year’s Hamas assault upon southern Israel. They are clear that this threat must be eliminated.

This report from ILTV Israel News: