The United States, European Union and almost a dozen other countries called jointly on Wednesday for an immediate 21-day ceasefire to allow for negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah amid fears that the escalating conflict could plunge the broader region into an all-out war.
Israel and Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon and backs fellow Iranian proxy group Hamas in its ongoing war with Israel, have been engaged in cross-border attacks since Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed.
The violence further intensified in recent days with the deadly explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies across Lebanon for which Hezbollah blamed Israel, followed by a wave of airstrikes by Israeli forces. More than 600 people in Lebanon have been killed and thousands of people in both countries have been displaced in the worst violence between them since 2006.
The situation between Israel and Lebanon “is intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation. This is in nobody’s interest, neither of the people of Israel nor of the people of Lebanon,” the countries said in a joint statement.
“It is time to conclude a diplomatic settlement that enables civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes in safety.”
The proposal was negotiated and agreed to by Australia, Canada, the European Union, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Qatar. It is unclear how Israel and Hezbollah will respond.
In addition to halting the violence between Israel and Hezbollah, officials say a broader goal of the cease-fire is to jump-start stalled peace talks between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where at least 97 people kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7 are still being held almost a year later.
“We’ll see if it opens up some possibilities on the Gaza side,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters, “because we do need to bring the hostages home, and we remain very focused on that.”
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