Lebanon and Israel are launching a new round of negotiations hosted by the US Department of State. The talks will take place in Washington between June 23-25.
This will be the fifth round of negotiations that began in April. The parties will come together in a process directly involved in and overseen by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Who is participating?
The Lebanese side will consist of a political and a security delegation representing it with the signing authority of Lebanon's Ambassador to Washington, Nada Maawad. The Israeli side will be represented by a similar political and security delegation with the signature of Israel's Ambassador to Washington, Yair Lapid. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz will also monitor the process.
What will be discussed?
The negotiations will be conducted at two parallel and separate tables: a security table and a political table.
The main topics to be discussed at the security table are:
- Making the ceasefire permanent
- Israel's gradual withdrawal from specific areas, such as Zawtar, which it refers to as "experimental zones," and the transfer of these areas to the Lebanese Army
- The ultimate goal of Israel's complete withdrawal from all occupied territories in southern Lebanon
The political table will work on a joint "declaration of intent" that will outline the framework for future relations between the two countries. This declaration is expected to include commitments to establishing the ceasefire, mutual respect for sovereignty and borders, and a pledge not to threaten each other's security.
Background of the talks
This round takes place under the shadow of rising tensions between the administration of US President Donald Trump and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu due to Israel's military operations in Lebanon. It also coincides immediately after negotiations between Iran and the US, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan in Switzerland, which also brought up the issue of stopping the war in Lebanon.
Experts note that both Tehran and Washington have a shared interest in ending the war in Lebanon. However, Israel's persistent stance on a complete withdrawal from southern Lebanon and reports that the US understands this position remain a significant obstacle.
