Lebanon Struggles to Leverage International Efforts for Resolution 1701

People ride a motorcycle near the site of an Israeli strike that destroyed an office used by Al-Mayadeen broadcaster, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Beirut suburbs, Lebanon October 24, 2024. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
People ride a motorcycle near the site of an Israeli strike that destroyed an office used by Al-Mayadeen broadcaster, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Beirut suburbs, Lebanon October 24, 2024. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
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Lebanon Struggles to Leverage International Efforts for Resolution 1701

People ride a motorcycle near the site of an Israeli strike that destroyed an office used by Al-Mayadeen broadcaster, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Beirut suburbs, Lebanon October 24, 2024. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
People ride a motorcycle near the site of an Israeli strike that destroyed an office used by Al-Mayadeen broadcaster, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Beirut suburbs, Lebanon October 24, 2024. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

The Paris Conference, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron to support Lebanon, has failed to resonate with local factions, especially Hezbollah and its allies.

They oppose calls for a presidential election and the implementation of UN resolution 1701 before achieving a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

An official told Asharq Al-Awsat that the only thing the Lebanese can do now is to immediately elect a president to outline a political roadmap, but this crucial step isn’t a priority for some.

The source, speaking under the conditions of anonymity, emphasized that the constitution gives the president sole authority to negotiate and sign international treaties, including resolution 1701.

This responsibility cannot be handed to anyone else.

The source also pointed out that Lebanon’s fate is currently in Iranian hands, which insists on a ceasefire before anything else. Iran has made it clear that it alone will negotiate the implementation of resolution 1701.

As political efforts for Lebanon have stalled, the French capital hosted a support conference attended by Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

Macron stressed the importance of electing a new president, stating that France is committed to preserving Lebanon’s sovereignty and helping it navigate current challenges.

He called for peacekeeping measures along the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel, saying that there is a need for a ceasefire, and it is in Lebanon’s interest to remain neutral.

Former lawmaker Fares Soaid remarked that “Lebanon’s political forces cannot engage positively with international initiatives as long as the decision-making power lies with Hezbollah and Iran.”

“We will not emerge from this war unless Hezbollah adopts a national vision that leads to handing over its weapons to the Lebanese state. This would be the most honorable move instead of waiting for international solutions to be imposed,” he added.

Soaid urged the party to accept state conditions and the National Accord Document, which protects everyone’s rights, rather than continuing a destructive war.

Mikati reiterated that a ceasefire in Lebanon “would open the door for a diplomatic process fully supported by the government.”

“This process aims to address security concerns along the southern border and disputes along the Blue Line,” added Mikati.

He stressed that “the current form of UN Security Council resolution 1701 must remain the foundation for stability and security in southern Lebanon, and its full implementation by Lebanon and Israel is essential for preserving Lebanon's sovereignty.”

Lebanese views on the post-war phase differ from global perspectives on the region’s future.

Soaid believes that Lebanese will struggle with the consequences of displacement just as regional post-war arrangements begin.



Middle East Aid Workers Say Rules of War Being Flouted

Members of the Lebanese Red Cross inspect damage after an Israeli bombardment -  AFP
Members of the Lebanese Red Cross inspect damage after an Israeli bombardment - AFP
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Middle East Aid Workers Say Rules of War Being Flouted

Members of the Lebanese Red Cross inspect damage after an Israeli bombardment -  AFP
Members of the Lebanese Red Cross inspect damage after an Israeli bombardment - AFP

Flagrant violations of the laws of war in the escalating conflict in the Middle East are setting a dangerous precedent, aid workers in the region warn.

"The rules of war are being broken in such a flagrant way... (it) is setting a precedent that we have not seen in any other conflict," Marwan Jilani, the vice president of the Palestine Red Crescent (PCRS), told AFP.

Speaking last week during a meeting in Geneva of the 191 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, he lamented a "total disregard for human life (and) for international humanitarian law".

Amid Israel's devastating retaliatory operation on October 7 in the Gaza Strip , local aid workers are striving to deliver assistance while facing the same risks as the rest of the population, he said.

The PCRS has more than 900 staff and several thousand volunteers inside Gaza, where more than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the territory's health ministry, and where the UN says virtually the entire population has been repeatedly displaced.

- 'Deliberate targeting' -

"They're part of the community," said Jilani. "I think every single member of our staff has lost family members."

He decried especially what he said was a "deliberate targeting of the health sector".

Israel rejects such accusations and maintains that it is carrying out its military operations in both Gaza and Lebanon in accordance with international law.

But Jilani said that "many of our staff, including doctors and nurses... were detained, were taken for weeks (and) were tortured".

Since the war began, 34 PRCS staff and volunteers have been killed in Gaza, and another two in the West Bank, "most of them while serving", he said.

Four other staff members are still being held, their whereabouts and condition unknown.

Jilani warned that the disregard for basic international law in the expanding conflict was eroding the belief that such laws even exist.

A "huge casualty of this war", he said, "is the belief within the Middle East that there is no international law".

- 'Unbelievable' -

Uri Shacham, chief of staff at the Israeli's emergency aid organization Magen David Adom (MDA), also decried the total disregard for laws requiring the protection of humanitarians.

- Gaza scenario looming -

The Red Cross in Lebanon, where for the past month Israel has been launching ground operations and dramatically escalating its airstrikes against Hezbollah, also condemned the slide.

Thirteen of its volunteers have been recently injured on ambulance missions.

One of its top officials, Samar Abou Jaoudeh, told AFP that they did not appear to have been targeted directly.

"But nevertheless, not being able to reach the injured people, and (missiles) hitting right in front of an ambulance is also not respecting IHL," she said, stressing the urgent need to ensure more respect for international law on the ground.

Abou Jaoudeh feared Lebanon, where at least 1,620 people have been killed since September 23, according to an AFP tally based on official figures, could suffer the same fate as Gaza.

"We hope that no country would face anything that Gaza is facing now, but unfortunately a bit of that scenario is beginning to be similar in Lebanon," she said.

The Lebanese Red Cross, she said, was preparing "for all scenarios... but we just hope that it wouldn't reach this point".