Sources in the office of Lebanon's president on Wednesday denied Israeli claims that discussions over a permanent border with Israel could lead to normalization between the two countries. The sources told the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese network Al-Mayadeen that the establishment of three committees tasked with resolving contentious issues with Israel was part of the continued implementation of UN Resolution 1701. They emphasized that these committees are not separate from Resolution 1701 and that there are no direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.
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"Any claims that these committees serve as a prelude to normalization are false." The committees, they said, will address existing issues, including border disputes, contested points from 2006, the five locations seized by Israel after the war, and the issue of prisoners.
Earlier on Wednesday, a senior official said that Israel was seeking normalization of relations with Lebanon. “The Prime Minister’s policies have already changed the Middle East, and we want to continue the momentum and achieve normalization with Lebanon. We and the Americans believe this is possible following the changes in Lebanon. Just as Lebanon has territorial claims regarding the borders, we also have claims and will discuss these matters.”
On Tuesday, The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) announced that representatives of the IDF, the United States, France and Lebanon met in the border town of Naqoura. The PMO also announced that “in coordination with the United States and as a gesture to the new president of Lebanon, Israel agreed to release five Lebanese detainees.”
"During the meeting, it was agreed to establish three joint working groups with the aim of stabilizing the region. These groups will focus on the following topics: the five points in southern Lebanon controlled by Israel, discussions regarding the Blue Line and disputed points, and the issue of Lebanese detainees held by Israel,” the PMO said in a statement.
“Although the talks included an IDF representative, it has been agreed that future discussions will include an Israeli government representative," the official said. "This is a dramatic breakthrough. For the new president of Lebanon, this is something difficult to manage politically within Lebanon, which is why we released five Lebanese detainees—so he can present this to his public and say that he brought them back without firing a single shot, as opposed to the resistance that destroyed Lebanon. The goal is to strengthen the president against Hezbollah and Amal, who oppose him, with the hope of achieving normalization with Lebanon. This is the aspiration and why we established the working groups and will continue the talks.”
The official said that moving the talks to a diplomatic representative framework is a first step toward Lebanese recognition of Israel. "The American announcement also confirmed that future discussions would be diplomatic. We are assisting the Lebanese president in managing this issue as smoothly as possible. Lebanon has territorial claims regarding the border, but so does Israel. This does not mean we will automatically withdraw or agree to every Lebanese demand. We will also make demands in accordance with Israel’s national and security interests, with a realistic perspective that Hezbollah is still a part of Lebanon, even though we have significantly weakened and struck them. Every step forward in the talks will be taken with a comprehensive view of the benefits and risks.”
David Azoulay, head of the Metula Regional Council, wrote to Prime Minister Netanyahu on Wednesday to voice his concern over the possible outcome of the talks. “The residents of the north are not willing to be hostages to weak agreements or security compromises.”
Azoulay warned of what he called "fateful consequences" in an agreement. “Do not agree to partial solutions that would set us back to the same dangers we experienced before the cursed Sabbath of October 7.”
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Azoulay criticized the decision to release terrorists back to Lebanon as a gesture to the new government without ensuring the security of the residents of the north and without Beirut committing to dismantle all terrorist organizations operating in South Lebanon. "The State of Israel must not agree to the presence of any terrorist organization in Lebanon, neither north nor south of the Litani River. Any progress in the talks must be based on actions on the ground and not empty promises.”
Moshe Davidovich, head of the Mateh Asher Regional Council and chairman of the Forum of Border Communities, said Israel has seen where UN Resolution 1701 has led. "Israel must remain a strong state that creates a security buffer zone. Any agreement with the Americans and the Lebanese army might contribute to a sense of security, but it cannot replace the security of our residents without the presence of IDF on the borders.”
Sources speaking to the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar newspaper said the release of Lebanese detainees was not a gesture of goodwill on the part of Israel and the talks between the two countries began some time ago. According to the sources, Aoun had asked the Americans to pressure Israel to release the detainees, particularly after Lebanon agreed to extend the 60-day ceasefire by another month. They said that Israel’s lack of response and the absence of American pressure was an embarrassment for Lebanon.