Lebanon, Israel, and the United States on Friday signed a trilateral framework agreement aimed at paving the way for a peace deal between the two long-time Middle East adversaries. The agreement includes a pilot effort in which Lebanese soldiers take control of two areas occupied by Israel, as well as a process aimed at disarming Hezbollah. This deal is the result of five rounds of talks in Washington, DC.
Framework for Lasting Peace and Security
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the signing ceremony that the deal 'begins to put in place a framework for lasting peace and security.' He noted, 'It's the beginning of the beginning. There's a lot of work ahead.'
Lebanon's ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, said the accord 'is a first step on the road to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, securing a permanent and final cessation of hostilities (and) enabling our people to go back to their land.'
Israel and Lebanon Declare Intent to End Conflict
According to the agreement, Israel and Lebanon 'declare their intent to conclusively end the conflict, address its underlying causes, and to therewith formally conclude any state of war between them.' It also establishes a process by which the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) would restore'sovereign authority over all Lebanese territory,' pending the'verified disarmament of non-state armed groups,' particularly Hezbollah.
That in turn would allow the Israeli Defense Forces to 'progressively redeploy out of the Lebanese territory,' the agreement states. Despite the deal, Israel and Hezbollah made clear that major differences remain.
US Commitment and Humanitarian Assistance
Rubio said in a statement that the agreement establishes a 'clear and structured process' to disarm Hezbollah and its infrastructure, as well as a US-facilitated military working group to help implement the deal. The United States will commit $100 million in humanitarian assistance in coordination with the United Nations, and will reimburse Lebanon's army for $30 million as it seeks to 'improve the capability and capacity' of those forces.
The United Nations chief of humanitarian affairs, Tom Fletcher, hailed the agreement and called the signing in Washington 'a moment of hope and opportunity.' The conflict has displaced more than one million Lebanese and left more than 4,200 dead, according to Lebanese authorities.
