What does the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel mean? What you need to know

Israel’s Hezbollah They sealed a truce that came into effect in the early hours of Wednesday. What does it imply? How did the Shiite militia negotiate it? Who has negotiated? And what does it foresee?

The “Corriere de la Sera” of Milan developed a synthetic and schematic explanation that is worth following.

First of all, explain, ceasefire does not mean peace. The US government’s proposal does not address the issues of borders, water resources, economic and diplomatic relations or war damage.

The only objective at this moment is for a successful negotiation with intermediaries that allows Israel and the Shiite militia of Hezbollah, supported by Iran, abandon your weapons.

An important fact is that the president of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, on behalf of Hezbollah, which has a wide representation of parliamentarians, along with the government and the army, have accepted a role in the future truceas well as international mediators, first of all the United States, represented by envoy Amos Hochstein.

Also France, of old and current ties with Lebanonwants to do its part and it is assumed that other European countries want to join the push towards a formal truce.

The text proposed by the US It is not an official agreement because the Lebanese Constitution requires that it is the President of the Republic who must sign an international agreement. And the president of Lebanon does not exist for two years because the politicians They don’t agree.

Therefore, what is signed it does not formally become an “agreement” but an “accommodation”.

There is no remedy for this ambiguity. Essentially it re-proposes the text of United Nations Resolution 1701 of 2006 by which within a period of two months Israel must withdraw from Lebanon and stop violating airspace with bombings and espionage or threatening flights.

At the same time, Hezbollah, explains the “Corriere de la Sera”, should withdraw weapons and militia north of the Litani River, which is about 30 kilometers from the border between Israel and Lebanon. From January, the south of the Litani River would be controlled only by the lebanese armywith the collaboration of the blue helmets from Unifil (United Nations).

In relation to the 2006 agreement, the role of the Lebanese army of at least five thousand soldiers in the south would be immediate. The United States and France have given their availability to “observe violations” and establish the rights of each of the parties to react. The United States has promised aid for the reconstruction of Lebanon.

Israel wants guarantees. He hopes that the international contingent of Unifil blue helmets change your nature. From a simple observer it should become a force capable of imposing peace, or is to disarm Hezbollah together with the Lebanese Army.

Israel also demands the possibility of intervening directly in case of “imminent threats”, difficult to define.

The problem could be resolved with a separate agreement between the United States and Israel.