Senior White House Advisor Amos Hockstein held talks on Sunday evening with senior officials in the Israeli government as part of American efforts to ease tensions on the border between the Israeli occupation army and Lebanese Hezbollah, while Israeli Channel 12 indicated “positive indicators and initial signs towards a diplomatic path that may lead to a political settlement that ensures that the war does not expand.

The channel stated that Hockstein brought with him to Israel “indications that there is room for a diplomatic settlement,” and said that these signals would not have existed “without the tacit approval” of Hezbollah regarding making further efforts in an attempt to reach a settlement through the diplomatic track. The channel pointed out that During the talks in Tel Aviv, the American official reviewed Washington's formula for the settlement, which has Israeli approval.

The American equation for the possible settlement, which was reviewed by Hockstein and reported by Channel 12, consists of two stages. The first includes Hezbollah’s withdrawal from southern Litani, the strengthening of the deployment of UNIFIL forces and Lebanese army forces in the region, and the return of residents of the Israeli border towns that were evacuated due to Hezbollah attacks.

The second stage, according to the channel, is negotiations between the Lebanese state and the Israeli government in an effort to demarcate the land borders between the two sides, and resolve disputes over the areas occupied by Israel and the disputed areas in the border region, provided that Israel is “ready to make concessions.” Note that Hockstein had mediated the demarcation of the maritime borders between Lebanon and Israel in October 2022.

According to the channel, the answer that the American mediator received from officials in Israel was that Israel will not stop the shooting in southern Lebanon and the attacks it launches in the region, until a political settlement is reached that guarantees the return of about 90,000 citizens to their homes in the border towns.

For his part, the former head of the Military Intelligence Division (“Aman”), Amos Yadlin, pointed out a dilemma facing the leadership in Israel, which is to rely on the diplomatic track, or launch a large-scale pre-emptive war against Hezbollah’s capabilities while the northern towns are evacuated of their residents, and a large number of people have been withdrawn. 

During his meeting with Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant, Hockstein discussed “various options to strengthen diplomatic means that will lead to an end to the conflict on the northern border,” according to what was stated in a statement issued by Gallant, and the latter said that “our commitment to our citizens is greater than any other commitment.” We are ready to solve the crisis politically, but we are also prepared for all possibilities."

The statement stated that Gallant and Hochstein discussed "the necessity of changing the security situation on the northern border, and ways for the residents of the north to return to their homes only after the security situation in the region changes." Gallant stressed that "Israel is committed to improving the security situation in the northern region, for the return of the residents of the north, after removing the threat of incursions and direct fire from Lebanese territory."

In turn, the Minister in the Israeli “War Cabinet”, Benny Gantz, said during his meeting with the American official, “The State of Lebanon is responsible for the terrorism that emanates from its territory. Israel will expand and deepen military activities to remove the threat unless the international community and the State of Lebanon remove the threat, regardless of developments in the fighting in the south, he said referring to the war on the Gaza Strip.

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