Lebanon's Aoun Calls for Direct Talks With Israel as Death Toll in Israel-Hezbollah Fighting Tops 3,600
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called for negotiations with Israel on June 8. The appeal followed recent exchanges of fire between Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran.
japantoday.comMore than 3,600 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon, and more than one million Lebanese have been displaced since the war began. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun appealed directly to the Israeli government and its people on June 8 to enter negotiations and end the fighting.
In a CNN interview aired that day, Aoun said a military solution would never provide Israel with security and safety.
"We are ready, we are willing, we are committed. Are you? If you are, let's sit and talk," Aoun said. The Lebanese government is already in direct talks with Israel, mediated by Washington, to reach a full cessation of hostilities.
Aoun said he would not meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before an agreement is reached. He said any deal would be a non-aggression pact rather than a full peace treaty. "We need to end the state of hostility between Lebanon and Israel.
Forever. And this (pact) could be a path forward for a just and lasting peace," Aoun said. Aoun added that Lebanon would move in line with the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which offers normalization with Israel across the Arab world in exchange for Palestinian statehood and Israel's withdrawal from occupied territories.
"But we cannot jump from A to B directly. We have to go through different steps," he said. The war erupted on March 2 when Hezbollah fired on Israel in support of Tehran. Israel responded with an air campaign and ground operations that have left swathes of southern Lebanon occupied.
A ceasefire was declared on April 16. Lebanon says Israel has carried out nearly 3,500 strikes since the truce was announced. Israel struck Beirut's southern suburbs on June 7 in retaliation for Hezbollah fire on northern Israel, triggering a 24-hour direct exchange of fire between Iran and Israel.
Aoun told CNN that Lebanon sought a good relationship with Iran based on mutual respect and non-interference. He said Lebanon's people were being killed to serve Iran's interests and accused Iran of using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in its talks with the United States. Hezbollah, which is fighting Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, opposes the talks.
