by Joanie Margulies
The war cabinet is expected to convene on Tuesday to finalize.
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US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to announce a 60 day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on Tuesday, Saudi news outlet Al-Sharq Al-Awast reported Monday evening.
The war cabinet is set to convene the same day to approve the pending ceasefire that would bring an end to hostilities on Israel's northern border with Lebanon. An Israeli official told Reuters that the cabinet would convene to discuss a deal that could be cemented in the coming days.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly had approved a ceasefire with Lebanon "in principle" while meeting with Israeli officials on Sunday evening, citing outstanding issues before approval.
The source said that Israel still has reservations about certain details, which will reportedly be transferred to the Lebanese government on Monday.
Lebanon's deputy speaker of parliament, Elias Bou Saab, told Reuters on Monday that there were "no serious obstacles" left to beginning the implementation of a US-proposed 60-day truce to end fighting between Israel and Lebanon-based terror organization Hezbollah.
"There appear to be no serious obstacles in the way of starting to implement the US proposed ceasefire agreement," Bou Saab said.
Bou Saab said the proposal included a 60-day timeline for Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanese territory, giving time for the Lebanese army to deploy to southern Lebanon.
According to the spokesman, one focal point being negotiated is who would monitor the ceasefire, and that a five-country committee would be set up to monitor, including France and chaired by the United States.
A Lebanese official and Western diplomat told Reuters that the US had informed Lebanese officials a ceasefire could be announced "within hours."
France, which Lebanon sought the involvement of in negotiations, was met with restraint in negotiations after announcing that the European nation would enforce the ICC warrants. Netanyahu was displeased with one of the key parties overseeing agreement implementation.
According to Axios, US President Joe Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron to try to come to a solution. The report claims that Biden told Macron that Netanyahu was within his rights to be angry and that mediation would not be possible between parties when one is pledging to arrest the head of state of one of the negotiating parties.
On both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border, thousands of people have been displaced from their communities, leading to copious fatality counts of both Israeli and Lebanese civilians.
Israel's motivation to finalize ceasefire
Overnight, reports from international media suggested significant American guarantees were on the table. Other sources pointed to Israel's motivation to finalize the ceasefire at this specific time.
Israeli state broadcaster KAN cited Israeli sources saying that an agreement with Lebanon may already be reached this week.
Israeli public officials have responded to reports of a pending ceasefire.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon would hinge on enforcement that would keep Hezbollah disarmed and away from the border.
"The test for any agreement will be one, not in words or phrasing, but in enforcement only of the two main points. The first is preventing Hezbollah from moving southward beyond the Litani (River), and the second, preventing Hezbollah from rebuilding its force and rearming in all of Lebanon," Saar said in Knesset, in broadcast remarks.
National
Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called an agreement with Lebanon "a
big mistake. A historic missed opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah. I
understand all the constraints and reasons, and it is still a grave
mistake," he wrote on social media platform X.
הסכם עם לבנון הוא טעות גדולה. החמצה היסטורית של הזדמנות למגר את החיזבאללה. אני מבין את כל האילוצים והנימוקים, ועדיין מדובר בטעות חמורה. צריך להקשיב למפקדים הלוחמים בשטח, להקשיב לראשי הרשויות. דווקא כעת, כשחיזבאללה מוכה ומשתוקק להפסקת אש, אסור לעצור.
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) November 25, 2024
כפי שהזהרתי בעבר בעזה אני…
Danny Danon, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, said that talks were moving forward, but denied that Israel should halt all strikes on southern Lebanon.
This is a developing story.
Maya Gur Arieh and Reuters contributed to this report.
Joanie Margulies
Source: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-830653
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