The Next Era of Israel-Lebanon Relations? Ceasefire Status and Political Prospects

Six months after Lebanon and Israel signed their ceasefire agreement, Israeli military operations continue across the border, while the Lebanese Armed Forces have only scratched the surface of their most crucial and difficult mission—disarming Hezbollah and Palestinian militia factions throughout the country. At the same time, Lebanon’s recent municipal elections offered some indication of how next year’s historic parliamentary election could go and whether the political class will take bolder action on disarmament, border demarcation, and reform in the interim. For its part, Washington has played an indispensable role in maintaining the ceasefire mechanism but must now consider what combination of diplomatic engagement and fiscal pressure will propel Beirut and other actors to the next step. To discuss these challenges, The Washington Institute hosted a virtual Policy Forum with:

Hanin Ghaddar, the Institute’s Friedmann Senior Fellow and a veteran Lebanese journalist whose publications include “Hezbollahland: Mapping Dahiya and the Shia Community.”

Ghaith al-Omari, the Institute’s Gilbert Foundation Senior Fellow and a former advisor to the Palestinian Authority.

Brig. Gen. Assaf Orion, IDF (Res.), the Institute’s Rueven International Fellow, a senior research fellow at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, and former head of the IDF Strategic Planning Division, where he led liaison efforts with the LAF and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

The Policy Forum series is made possible through the generosity of the Florence and Robert Kaufman Family.