The issue:

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, after the visit by UN Special Coordinator Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said Israel is committed to a ceasefire with Lebanon. The agreement calls for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in 60 days and an end to hostilities. But Israeli media reports that troops could stay beyond the deadline, with Sa’ar describing a “phased” withdrawal depending on security requirements. Still, Israel makes military moves like destroying homes and threatening the infrastructure of southern Lebanon. The reports say that displaced people face food insecurity and healthcare access challenges. The US, though touted as a guarantor, has proven ineffective in enforcing ceasefire adherence.

Insights:

In southern Lebanon is a humanitarian crisis worsened by food insecurity and the unavailability of medical care for displaced populations.

There has been no tangible US leverage as a guarantor to compel Israeli compliance.

Questions raised:

• What is the ceasefire deal?

The cease-fire agreement calls for Israel to pull out of Lebanon within 60 days and for both sides to cease hostilities.

• How has the prolonged conflict affected civilians in southern Lebanon?

Civilians are subject to terrible hardship: home demolitions, the destruction of farmland, and obstacles to food and health care access.

• What part does the US play in this equation?

The US has emerged as a guarantor of the ceasefire yet it has not genuinely enforced that Israel live up to it and its words ring hollow.

Opinion:

Flee Market dodgy habits, do not belong to international and bi-state commitments. If there’s any hope of Israel becoming a modern and serious state, it needs to abandon the “victim syndrome.”