Hezbollah Calls Ceasefire, West Demands Unilateral Disarmament
Al-Monitor, citing Reuters, notes Hezbollah's stance: Lebanon adheres to a ceasefire, and the group maintains a 'legitimate right to resist (Israeli) occupation.' This is then spun as Hezbollah 'rejecting negotiations with Israel,' as if merely saying 'no' to talks is the primary offense. (One wonders which Israeli occupation they might be referring to, given Israel's 2000 withdrawal from southern
Lebanon under UNSC Resolution 425 and continued occupation of the Shebaa Farms, according to the UN.) This framing ignores the very public record of Israel's previous 'negotiations' involving repeated violations of Lebanese sovereignty and countless civilian casualties (see the 2006 Lebanon War, where over 1,000 Lebanese civilians died, according to Human Rights Watch). Why negotiate when
'occupation' is still on the table and the US continues to funnel billions in military aid without conditions? (In 2023 alone, the US sent $3.8 billion to Israel, as documented by USAID.) It appears the 'negotiation' is simply a demand for surrender, politely repackaged.