Israel Palestinians
The United States, France, and other allies have asked for an immediate 21-day cease-fire to facilitate negotiations in the increasing confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel’s attacks in Lebanon have killed over 600 civilians in recent days.
According to the joint statement, which was reached on the fringes of the UN General Assembly in New York, the recent fighting is “intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation.”
“We call for an immediate 21-day cease-fire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy,” according to the statement. “We call on all parties, including the governments of Israel and Lebanon, to endorse the temporary cease-fire immediately.”
The United States expects that the new agreement will lead to long-term stability along Israel’s border with Lebanon.
Months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah have forced tens of thousands of Palestinians to flee their homes, and recent attacks have reignited worries of a larger Middle East war.
The US officials said Hezbollah would not sign the cease-fire, but they expected the Lebanese government to coordinate its approval with the group.
They said they anticipated Israel to “welcome” the suggestion and maybe formally embrace it when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the General Assembly on Friday.
While the agreement only applies to the Israel-Lebanon border, US officials stated that they intended to utilize a three-week respite in hostilities to relaunch stalled negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire and hostage release.
The countries advocating for an end to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict are the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.
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