October 26, 2024
By Nasser Kandil
Exactly a week ago, just before departing for Beirut, U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein stated that Resolution 1701 is insufficient to ensure stability on Lebanon’s southern border. He suggested that additional mechanisms, assurances, and perhaps amendments are needed to make the resolution a viable framework for stability.
Upon Hochstein’s arrival in Beirut, U.S. media disclosed proposed amendments requested by the occupying entity to Resolution 1701, handed to Hochstein. These included allowing unrestricted airspace access for the occupation’s aircraft over Lebanon, freedom for ground patrols within a specific depth of Lebanese territory to check for potential threats, and granting UNIFIL broader security responsibilities in areas south of the Litani River up to the “security belt” where the occupying entity maintains influence, with assurances to dismantle resistance infrastructure in this region.
After meeting with Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri, Hochstein remarked that commitment to Resolution 1701 alone is insufficient, emphasising that the resolution needs implementation – implying Lebanon’s failure to uphold its commitments allowed the occupation to evade its own. He pointed to the events following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood as the most significant breach, sparking the current war. However, Hochstein’s tone softened on amending the resolution after hearing Berri’s categorical refusal to discuss modifications or additions. Berri insisted the issue has always been the occupying entity’s failure to fulfil its obligations, while Lebanon has largely met its own – particularly by avoiding armed presence south of the Litani. He highlighted that other commitments, such as the occupation’s withdrawal from Lebanese territories like Ghajar, Shebaa Farms, and Ras al-Naqoura, as well as halting violations of Lebanese air and sea space, are prerequisites for transitioning from a cessation of hostilities to a permanent ceasefire, as the resolution stipulates.
Yesterday, Hochstein addressed an issue he had previously avoided: the occupying entity’s responsibility for not implementing Resolution 1701. For the first time, he equated Lebanon and the entity in their failure to adhere to the resolution. This shift is far from isolated, reflecting the realities on the battlefield where the resistance demonstrates dominance, resilience, and presence. With the toll of the war mounting, the call for a ceasefire has extended beyond Lebanon. The occupation’s military losses, coupled with the resistance’s demonstrated capability to threaten deep into the entity’s territory – especially given the failure to secure any military advance – has led the occupying army’s Chief of Staff to consider ending the war. A senior military official also told Channel 12 that the ground operation will conclude within a week, while the Defense Minister was the first to suggest ending the ground campaign, not because it met its objectives but because it has turned into a disaster.
Hochstein’s stance is shifting in sync with the unfolding events on the ground.
