Lebanon – Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed, on Thursday, the international call calling for a temporary ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese faction movement, stressing that the most important thing is Tel Aviv’s response to the call and commitment to it.
Earlier today, a joint statement issued by 12 countries and organizations, including the United States and France, called for a temporary ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese factions. This is to provide an opportunity for diplomatic efforts.
The official Lebanese News Agency said, “Mikati welcomed this joint call from New York, where he is participating in the United Nations General Assembly meetings, to establish a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon.”
He was quoted as saying: “The lesson remains in implementation through Israel’s commitment to implementing international resolutions.”
The joint statement was issued at dawn on Thursday by the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Australia, Canada, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, and the European Union.
It stated, “The situation between Lebanon and Israel since October 8, 2023 is intolerable and represents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation.”
The statement considered that the continuation of this situation “is not in anyone’s interest, whether the people of Israel or the people of Lebanon.”
He stressed that “the time has come to reach a diplomatic settlement that enables civilians on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border to return to their homes safely.”
He added: “But diplomacy cannot succeed amid the escalation of this conflict.”
Therefore, the countries and organizations that signed the statement called for “an immediate ceasefire for 21 days along the Lebanese-Israeli border to provide space for diplomacy in order to reach a diplomatic settlement in line with Resolution 1701 of the Security Council, and the implementation of Resolution 2735 regarding the ceasefire in Gaza.”
She continued: “We call on all parties, including the governments of Israel and Lebanon, to support a temporary ceasefire immediately in accordance with Security Council Resolution No. 1701.”
It then stressed its readiness to “support all diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement between Lebanon and Israel during this period, while building on the efforts made during the past months, to completely end this crisis.”
Security Council Resolution No. 1701, issued on August 11, 2006, calls for a complete cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel, and the establishment of a zone free of peace and militants between the Blue Line (separating Lebanon and Israel) and the Litani River in southern Lebanon, with the exception of forces affiliated with the Lebanese army. And UNIFIL forces.
On June 10, the Security Council adopted a US draft resolution No. 2735, which supports reaching a comprehensive ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which includes a deal to exchange prisoners and ensure the arrival of sufficient and sustainable humanitarian aid to all parts of the Strip.
This comes as no official reaction to the joint statement was issued by the Lebanese factions or the Israeli side until 04:00 GMT.
The statement did not stipulate that the ceasefire includes the Gaza Strip, despite stressing on more than one occasion that the ceasefire with Israel is contingent on the latter stopping its war on the Strip that has been ongoing for nearly a year.
Efforts to reach an agreement to end the war on Gaza were hampered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s adherence to conditions to keep Israeli forces in areas of Gaza, including the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphia axis separating the Strip from Egypt.
Since last Monday morning, the Israeli army has launched the “most violent and widespread” attack on Lebanon since the beginning of the confrontations with the Lebanese factions about a year ago, resulting in 636 deaths, including children and women, in addition to 2,505 wounded and about 390,000 displaced people.
On the other hand, sirens continue to sound in Israel, following the firing of hundreds of rockets by Lebanese factions at military sites, settlements, and the Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv, amid a strict blackout on human and material losses, according to observers.
Agencies
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2024-09-27 09:37:16
