Bahrain: Lebanon Needs to Show that Hezbollah Can Change Behavior

Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani speaks at the Manama Dialogue security forum. Photo: International Institute for Strategic Studies
Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani speaks at the Manama Dialogue security forum. Photo: International Institute for Strategic Studies
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Bahrain: Lebanon Needs to Show that Hezbollah Can Change Behavior

Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani speaks at the Manama Dialogue security forum. Photo: International Institute for Strategic Studies
Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani speaks at the Manama Dialogue security forum. Photo: International Institute for Strategic Studies

Bahrain's foreign minister, Abdullatif Al Zayani, said on Saturday that Lebanon needs to demonstrate that Hezbollah can change its behavior to mend a rift with Gulf Arab states.

"We (can) extend support and try to find solutions in the future, but once it is demonstrated that Hezbollah can be changing its behavior," Zayani told the IISS Manama Dialogue security forum in Bahrain.

Zayani participated in the third plenary session entitled "Diplomacy and Deterrence," which included Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Iraq's Foreign Minister of Iraq Fuad Hussein.

The Bahraini official explained that deterrence no longer applies to the behavior of nation-states, as the world faces challenges from a host of state and non-state actors, including terrorist organizations, militias, proxy groups, and many others.

He added that what might be effective as deterrence against a nation-state may not be relevant in the case of non-state actors, reported the state news agency (BNA).

He also stressed the need to move beyond seeing deterrence through the lens of military action or sanctions and what might be called "hard power" deterrence.

In the post-COVID 19 era, nations need to look at deterrence as a broader range of potential outcomes that can be leveraged to influence the behavior of potential adversaries, suggesting that "hard power" deterrence can be complemented by cyber, economic, and social deterrence, said Zayani.



MWL Welcomes UN Co-Chairs' Statement on Palestinian Question and Two-State Solution

MWL Welcomes UN Co-Chairs' Statement on Palestinian Question and Two-State Solution
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MWL Welcomes UN Co-Chairs' Statement on Palestinian Question and Two-State Solution

MWL Welcomes UN Co-Chairs' Statement on Palestinian Question and Two-State Solution

The Muslim World League (MWL) welcomed the statement issued by the Co-Chairs of the United Nations High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, represented by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the French Republic.
In a statement from the League’s General Secretariat, MWL Secretary-General and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa reaffirmed the League and the Islamic world’s appreciation for the pivotal and significant momentum generated by the international coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, to implement the two-state solution.

He noted that this conference was one of the important outcomes of these efforts, alongside the coalition’s remarkable diplomatic achievements in a short time, which have pushed the international community toward a legitimate and responsible stance aligned with the legal and human rights of the Palestinian people, SPA reported.

Dr. Al-Issa also expressed regret over the ongoing escalation and recent developments in the region that led to the suspension of this historic conference, which had been widely anticipated as a step toward a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question, the implementation of the two-state solution, and an end to the prolonged suffering of the Palestinian people and the humanitarian tragedy facing civilians in Gaza.

He praised the statement’s reaffirmation of unwavering support for all efforts aimed at ending the war in Gaza and achieving a just and sustainable resolution to the Palestinian question through the implementation of the two-state solution.