As Lebanon and Israel sit down for a second round of talks on Thursday, the Lebanese are divided over a critical question: Is opening a dialogue with a longtime enemy a necessary step to prevent more bloodshed or a betrayal of the country’s values?
Last week, the State Department held a round of diplomatic-level talks in Washington, which led to a ceasefire that ended hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group backed by Iran. Hezbollah is Iran’s most powerful proxy in the Middle East, and an end to the conflict in Lebanon could help remove an obstacle to negotiations between the United States and Iran.
“Talking to Israel is a very divisive step in Lebanon,” said Camille El Khoury, 39, the general manager of an e-commerce company and a Christian who likes dialogue.
These are the first direct talks in decades between Lebanon and Israel, and come after two Israeli-Hezbollah wars in the past three years.
The latest conflict began in early March, when Hezbollah attacked Israel in cooperation with Iran as it came under US-Israeli aggression. The war has killed more than 2,000 people in Lebanon, and Israel has seized towns in southern Lebanon and destroyed everything.
Israel says its actions are aimed at protecting communities in northern Israel. Israeli authorities say 15 soldiers and two civilians have been killed by Hezbollah since early March.
The 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon began late last week and has been largely suspended. But this week’s exchange of fire on the border has put it under pressure.
Wednesday’s killing of a Lebanese newspaper reporter, Amal Khalil, and the wounding of a Lebanese photographer, Zeinab Faraj, also raised tensions ahead of the new talks. Lebanese media said they were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel said the episode is still under review and will provide more details later.
Under the terms of the agreement, only Lebanon’s national security forces are allowed to carry weapons in the southern area near the Israeli border. The agreement also stated that Israel retained its right to defend itself, but would not carry out “offensive military operations” against Lebanese targets.
President Joseph Aoun said on Wednesday that he would push Lebanon to extend the ceasefire and call for an end to Israeli demolitions in the talks.
Lebanon has three ruling parties – Shiite and Sunni Muslims and Christians. For many Shiites, who make up a large part of Hezbollah’s base of support, the talks feel like a betrayal.
Some have expressed concern that the talks could lead to normal diplomatic relations for the first time since Israel’s founding in 1948.
Some communities are upset that Hezbollah has dragged them into another war with Israel at the behest of Iran. They agree that the government has little power in these negotiations and are worried about the outcome.
“Lebanon has been drawn into conflicts that are not in line with the country’s needs,” said Mosbah Alsaket, 29, an engineer with a Sunni Muslim congregation in the northern city of Tripoli, in a telephone interview.
Mr. Alsaket said his hopes for the talks are low, doubting that they will bring meaningful results. He said this is because the government does not have the power to manage the military or make decisions about the war.
Hezbollah’s connection with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps increases the group’s influence on the ground and pressures the Lebanese government into negotiations, he added.
“Hezbollah has left us in a very bad situation,” he said.
Jean El Cheikh, an oncologist, said that the government must press on several issues, especially the issue of land in southern Lebanon. He said the government must seek support from Arab and European partners to strengthen its position in the negotiations.
More importantly, he added, it should be discussed with those from different groups in Lebanon and religious sects, especially moderate voices who are open to a way out of this crisis.
“True peace first requires reconciliation within Lebanon to end sectarian paralysis,” he said. Lebanon is still scarred by a brutal 15-year civil war that ended in 1990.
Mr El Cheikh, who is Catholic, expressed doubts about Israel’s intentions, saying it was targeting journalists and medical workers and destroying entire towns – using tactics similar to those used in the Gaza war.
His concern intensified, he said, when Israel struck Lebanon and killed hundreds in a single day on April 8, including family members of a Syrian immigrant he knew.
“We cannot rely on this extreme Israeli government,” he said. “The only strength in our position is the combination of our national interests and the military.”
Mr. El Khoury said that these discussions have caused a rift in his group of friends.
For years, he and his school friends have been arguing about various issues in a WhatsApp group. This week, many members left for the first time after heated arguments about these negotiations, he said in a telephone interview.
Those who were in favor were accused of being collaborators with Israel, while those who were against them were considered to be aligned with Hezbollah, he said.
“We are really caught in a difficult situation,” said Mr. El Khoury. “But anything is better than living in limbo.”
