Netanyahu Offers Trump Peace in Lebanon
Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his first term as U.S. President (Flickr)
A close aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed Jared Kushner and Donald Trump of current Israeli efforts to expedite a ceasefire in Lebanon on November 10, a win Trump could claim for himself. The proposed ceasefire deal comes on the heels of the president-elect’s October 26 appeal to Lebanese American voters, who helped pave his path to victory in key swing states after he promised peace in the Middle East.
Current peace proposals seem to exclude the current Democrat administration under Joe Biden. Frank Lowenstein, Barack Obama's former Israel-Palestine envoy, stated “Netanyahu has no loyalty to Biden and will be focused entirely on currying favor with Trump.” Lowenstein suggested that Netanyahu may save a peace deal in Lebanon for when Trump enters office, putting forth a temporary agreement in the meantime. Netanyahu confirmed Lowenstein’s suspicions, stating in a video following three conversations between President-Elect Trump and the Israeli Prime minister that he saw “major opportunities ahead for Israel, especially in advancing peace.”
On the same day, Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago to discuss the future of the Israeli war in Lebanon. According to an American official, the meeting’s aim was to learn which issues Trump would like resolved prior to his inauguration rather than after he takes office.
According to Israeli officials, the ceasefire proposal for Lebanon, which Trump and Dermer discussed at Mar-a-Lago, would require Hezbollah to move north of the Litani River and involve cooperation with Russia. Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar suggested during the week of the U.S. elections that Russia, through their presence in Syria, could help prevent arms from reaching Hezbollah. Additionally, Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Dermer visited Russia last week to discuss a peace deal in Lebanon. Prior to that visit, according to Naharnet, Russian officials went to Israel to discuss a peace deal in Lebanon on October 27. However, U.S. special envoy for Lebanon Amos Hochstein, denied that Russia would be involved in a ceasefire deal.
The Biden administration is trying for peace in Lebanon before Trump takes power. The American ambassador to Lebanon gave a truce proposal to Nabih Berri, Lebanon’s Parliament’s Speaker, on November 14. Lebanese official Ali Hassan Khalil mentioned on Wednesday that Lebanon would accept American or French enforcement of a potential ceasefire deal.
The changing political climate in the United States seems to be hastening peace efforts in Lebanon. The conflict in the Middle East is in no small part responsible for securing Trump the White House, since dissatisfaction with Biden’s handling of Israel’s war with its neighbors drove many Arab-American voters to his side. Promising to bring peace to the region, something Biden failed to do, likely made the difference in several key swing states. Offering Trump an early opportunity to make good on his promise will allow Netanyahu to build goodwill ahead of the new administration.