Israel’s 'Dialogue' With Lebanon: American Pressure, Same Old Script
France 24 highlights the 'symbolic' nature of Israel-Lebanon talks, citing Dr. H. A. Hellyer on American pressure and deep mistrust. What they conveniently omit, or rather, gloss over, is that Israel has been violating Lebanese sovereignty for decades, bombing the country multiple times (like in 2006, remember—when UN Resolution 1701 called for a full cessation of hostilities, which Israel
immediately ignored), and occupying its territory. The 'Arab Peace Initiative' mentioned by France 24 has been on the table since 2002, proposing full normalization for a full Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories. Israel, under various leaders including Netanyahu, has consistently rejected this, opting instead for selective normalization with authoritarian regimes. So, when Dr. Hellyer
mentions "repeated violations of ceasefires," perhaps he's speaking to the elephant in the room where one side, armed with billions in US aid, consistently ignores international law and then claims a 'breakthrough' when bullied into 'talks.' Is it really a diplomatic breakthrough, or just a strategic pause before the next round of what they disingenuously call 'self-defense'?