Biden’s senior adviser urges immediate political solution to Israeli-Hezbollah fighting
BEIRUT (AA) – President Joe Biden’s senior adviser Amos Hochstein on Tuesday stressed immediate political solution to the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah group.
Following a meeting with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, he said, “The conflict on both sides of the Blue Line between Hezbollah and Israel has gone on long enough.
“It is in everyone’s interest to resolve the conflict quickly and politically, and this is possible, necessary, and within reach,” Hochstein added.
He noted that achieving a cease-fire in Gaza would eventually help end the border escalation between Israel and Lebanon, urging Hamas to accept the cease-fire proposal outlined on May 31 by President Biden, who has repeatedly claimed that Israel has agreed to it.
Biden said Israel had presented a three-phase deal that would end its attacks on Gaza and secure the release of Israelis held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a cease-fire, a prisoner exchange, and the reconstruction of Gaza.
Hamas says it has responded “positively” and “responsibly” to all proposals to reach a cease-fire in Gaza.
While US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “reaffirmed his commitment” to the Gaza cease-fire proposal during their meeting last week, neither Netanyahu nor any member of his government has publicly endorsed the proposal.
Hochstein said putting an end to the fighting on the Lebanese-Israeli border areas “will create conditions for the displaced to return to their homes in the south, and the same will apply to civilians on the other side (in reference to Israel).”
On Monday, he traveled to Israel and met with top Israeli officials, including Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant.
Since the war in Gaza began last October, there have been daily exchanges of fire between Israeli troops and Hezbollah, and thousands of civilians have been displaced on both sides.
Hochstein played a key role in Israel and Lebanon’s maritime boundary agreement, which was signed in Oct. 2022.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
