Israel–Lebanon relations
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Lebanon |
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Israel–Lebanon relations have experienced ups and downs since their establishment in the 1940s.
Lebanon did take part in the
The most turbulent period in binational relations was during the 1970s and 1980s, upon the
Timeline
1940s–1975
Lebanon played a small part in the
Unlike in other
In the early 1950s, direct flights linking Beirut with East Jerusalem were not uncommon. In 1951, Middle East Airlines, Lebanese national flag-carrier, expanded its regional network to include East Jerusalem, Jordan. Also, Air Liban, another Lebanese airline carrier, had flight routes linking Beirut with Jerusalem since 1945. However, the 1967 Six-Day War disrupted Middle East Airlines' operations for about two weeks, and led to the suspension of flights to Jerusalem. Lebanon played a minor role in the Six-Day War, carrying out a single air raid on the first day of the war in which it lost one aircraft.[8]
During the Yom Kippur War, Lebanon sent radar units to Syria for air defense, but refrained from participating in the war.[9]
Following Black September in Jordan in 1970–71, the PLO relocated from Jordan to Southern Lebanon, from where it had carried out attacks against Israel. Israel did not refrain from targeting Lebanese infrastructure when retaliating for fedayeen attacks, notably in the 1968 raid on Beirut Airport.[10] This turned Lebanon, which had largely stayed out of the Arab-Israeli armed conflicts, into a battleground between Israel and Palestinian fedayeen.
Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990)
The Lebanese Civil War began in 1975 when Phalangist gunmen ambushed a bus, killing the 27 Palestinian passengers onboard. The complexities of the war were tied to Lebanon's sectarian political structure dividing Shia and Sunni Muslims and Christians.
In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon in the middle of the civil war after a gunman from
After the PLO was ejected from Lebanon's capital Beirut in the summer of 1982, Israel hoped to help put Christian Bachir Gemayel in power as Lebanese president. Bachir Gemayel flew to the Israeli coastal town of Nahariya to talk with Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon. Begin and Sharon proposed that Israel and Lebanon establish full diplomatic relations, but Gemayel proposed a kind of formal non-aggression pact. When Sharon reminded Gemayel that Israel controlled most of Lebanon at that time and that it would be wise to follow Israel's instructions Gemayel held out his hands and replied "Put the handcuffs on. [...] I am not your vassal."[15] Gemayel left Israel without making any formal agreement. Before the elections, he was assassinated by the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, throwing Lebanon again into crisis.
Following the assassination of Lebanese President by oppositional factions, the Israeli army occupied Beirut, and allowed the
Israel and Lebanon signed an agreement on May 17, 1983 which was a peace treaty in all but name.[16] Lebanon signed the agreement under American and Israeli pressure, but it was opposed by Syria. The agreement was conditional on Syrian withdrawal, which did not occur until April 2005. Much of the content of the treaty was contained in secret protocols and memoranda, and it did not win expected Jordanian and Saudi endorsement. The Lebanese legislature ratified the treaty by a margin of 80 votes, but in a very weak and unstable domestic position, president Amine Gemayel abrogated the peace treaty on March 5, 1984 under unrelenting Syrian pressure and takeover of West Beirut by Druze and Shiite militias, after the U.S. Marines withdrew and after Israel had begun withdrawing from Lebanon.
The 1990s
The Lebanese Civil War gradually came to a halt after the 1989
During this time, Israel continued to militarily occupy 10% of Lebanese land, in a southern strip called the
Throughout the 1990s, discontent had been growing in Israel about the occupation of parts of Lebanon. Discontent increased as a result of a
The destruction of Lebanese infrastructure that the Israeli military left behind, particularly water infrastructure, was devastating to Southern Lebanon. The Lebanese government turned to organizations such as the Arab Fund, the
Post-withdrawal period (2000s)
On June 16, 2000, the
Cedar Revolution
Since the beginning of the Cedar Revolution, hopes had increased of an Israel-Lebanon peace treaty. In a May 2005 Newsweek interview, Saad Hariri said "We would like to have peace with Israel. We don't want wars. We hope that the peace process moves ahead with us, with the Syrians, with all the Arab countries", but he added that Lebanon would not sign a separate peace treaty as Jordan and Egypt have done. Other Lebanese leaders draw an even harder line.
2006 Lebanon War
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said in August 2006 that Lebanon would be the "last Arab country to make peace with Israel" because of the large number of civilians who were killed in the 2006 Lebanon War.[22] Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, proclaimed "Death to Israel" and promises the "liberation" of Jerusalem.
It was uncovered in the cache of diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks that, in 2008, Lebanese Defense Minister had sent messages to Israel via the United States stating the Lebanese Army would refrain from getting involved in a future conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and that the army, as quoted in the cables "will move to pre-position food, money, and water with these units so they can stay on their bases when Israel comes for Hezbollah — discreetly, Murr added."[23] Additionally, he advised Israel to ensure not to "bomb bridges and infrastructure in the Christian areas." According to former U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison, the dispatcher of the cable, "Murr offered some ideas aimed at avoiding turning the Christian population against Israel when the next war with Hezbollah occurs... Murr also outlined his orders to the Lebanese Army when/if Israel invades to counter Hezbollah."
General calm with sporadic border incidents (2010s)
On August 3, 2010, a clash took place near the Lebanese border village of Odaisseh between the Israel Defense Forces and Lebanese Armed Forces after an Israeli patrol operating on the border clashed with Lebanese troops. Israel claimed that the troops had stayed within Israel, while Lebanon claimed that the soldiers had crossed the border to uproot trees. An ensuing firefight resulted in the deaths of three Lebanese soldiers and one senior Israeli commander; two Israeli soldiers and five Lebanese soldiers were also wounded. A Lebanese journalist was also killed. Israeli artillery and helicopter gunships then struck several Lebanese Army posts and the Lebanese Army's southern headquarters, destroying several military vehicles.
On November 13, 2010,
On December 15, 2013, a Lebanese soldier shot and killed an IDF soldier at the Rosh HaNikra Crossing.
On 2 September 2019, a day after rocket strikes toward Israeli's border, Hassan Nasrallah said Hezbollah would begin targeting Israeli drones flying in Lebanese airspace, and announced there were "no more red lines" in the fight against Israel. If attacked again, he said, Hezbollah would strike "deep inside" Israel.[25]
Beirut explosion in 2020
Following the devastating explosion in Beirut in August 2020, the Israeli city of Tel Aviv highlighted their city hall with the Lebanese flag, with desire to share solidarity despite the two nations having no official relations.[26] Israel also offered to aid Lebanon via a third party.[27] Many Lebanese and Israelis had reacted skeptically.[28][26]
Abraham Accords
In 2020, Israel signed historic peace treaties with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, the two Arab countries that share common cultural tie with Lebanon, and this had prompted possibility for Lebanon to sign peace treaty with Israel due to increasing anti-Iranian sentiment, mostly aiming against Hezbollah.[29]
Alleged spying arrests in Lebanon
In the period of April 2009 – July 2010, Lebanese authorities arrested almost 100 people suspected of spying on behalf of Israel. Many were expected to receive the
Maritime border dispute
In 2010, Israel discovered massive deposits of natural gas off its coast in the Mediterranean Sea. While Israel's find is within its territorial exclusive economic zone, the dispute stems from the possibility that the gas field spans to Lebanon's boundary. A general principle in such a situation is the rule of capture where each side is permitted to lift as much as it can on its side. Israel has already started exploration and construction on its side, while Lebanese authorities have not yet officially demarcated its exclusive economic zone or initiated a process of attracting bids for exploration rights.[32] Lebanese Energy Minister Gebran Bassil warned that Lebanon would not allow Israel or any company "serving Israeli interests" to drill gas "that is in our territory". Beirut had previously warned the American Noble Energy company not to approach its territory. In response, Israeli Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau warned Lebanon that Israel was willing to use force to protect the gas reserves discovered off its shores.[33]
On 17 August 2010, the Parliament of Lebanon passed a law authorising exploration and drilling of offshore oil and gas fields. The law called for the establishment of a treasury and a committee to oversee exploration and drilling. Speaker Nabih Berri's advisor, Ali Hamdan, said that he expected rights to be up for auction by the end of 2011. "This is definitely a major cornerstone in Lebanon's oil policy... and will help Lebanon divide its reserves into blocks an eventually bring in tenders and start looking into power-sharing agreements."[34]
U.S.-mediated negotiations hosted by the UN over the dispute began October 12, 2020.[35] These negotiations led to an agreement resolving the Israeli–Lebanese maritime border dispute, signed on October 27, 2022.[36][37]
See also
- Canaanism
- History of the Jews in Lebanon
- Independent Israel–Syria peace initiatives
- Israeli–Lebanese conflict
- Jewish migration from Lebanon post-1948
- Maronites in Israel
- Palestinians in Lebanon
- Shebaa farms, small disputed area situated near the tripoint of Israel, Lebanon and Syria
References
- ^ Abukhater, Maher (17 April 2014). "Israeli arrest of Arab citizen over Lebanon visit angers rights groups". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2021-03-09. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Lebanon". travel.state.gov. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
- ^ "Unfavorable Views of Jews and Muslims on the increase in Europe" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-18. Pew Global Attitudes Research September 17, 2008, page 10
- ^ "Muslim-Western Tensions Persist". PEW Global Attitudes Report. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
- ^ "TEXT OF AN ARMISTICE AGREEMENT BETWEEN LEBANON AND ISRAEL". United Nations Security Council. 23 March 1949. Archived from the original on 2008-01-10. Armistice Agreement UN Doc S/1296 23 March 1949
- ^ "Notes on the history of airtravel in Lebanon". Retrieved 2014-03-04.
- ^ Rabinovich, I. The War for Lebanon, 1970–1985. p.105. "Lebanon was perceived as Israel's one harmless neighbour, a state that since 1949 had not taken part in the Arab–Israeli wars …"
- ISBN 1-56025-442-4.
- ISBN 9780307889775.
- ^ "Lebanon's Legacy of Political Violence" (PDF). International Center for Transitional Justice.
- ^ a b c d e "Lebanon's Legacy of Political Violence" (PDF). International Center for Transitional Justice.
- ^ MacBride, Sean; AK, Asmal; B, Bercusson; R. A, Falk; G, De la Pradelle; S, Wild (1983). Israel in Lebanon. London: Ithaca Press.
- ISBN 0-393-32112-6.
- ^ "Israel-Lebanon Draft Peace Agreement, 1983". www.mideastweb.org. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
- ^ a b c Amery, Hussein (2002). Water Wars in the Middle East: A Looming Threat. The Geographical Journal.
- ^ Lockery, Neill (1999). The Difficult Road to Peace. UK: Ithaca Press. p. 162.
- ^ "Los Angeles World Affairs Council > Home". www.lawac.org.
- ^ "Farid Abboud: Peace Process". Archived from the original on September 21, 2007.
- ^ Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council resolutions 425 (1978) and 426 (1978), May 22, 2000.
- ^ Hatoum, Leila (2006-08-31). "Siniora vows to be last in making peace with Israel". The Daily Star (Lebanon). Retrieved 2012-11-15.
- ^ Daragahi, Borzou; Lutz, Meris (December 3, 2010). "Lebanon defense chief worked with U.S. against Hezbollah, leaked cable says". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Einav, Hagai (14 November 2010). "IDF rescues Lebanese woman caught in border fence". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
- ^ "'bold, brave' attack". timesofisrael. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ Hendrix, Steve (August 6, 2020). "After recent tensions, Israel offers aid for devastated Beirut". The Washington Post.
- ^ "'We'll light up Tel Aviv…with our rockets': Lebanese rebuff Israeli solidarity". www.timesofisrael.com. 6 August 2020.
- ^ "How Lebanon may be forced to make peace with Israel | Opinion". Haaretz.
- ^ "Lebanon to release convicted Israeli spy". Retrieved 2016-06-27.
- ^ "The Advocates for Human Rights" (PDF). www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org.
- ^ "Potential Lebanese- Israeli Conflict over Natural Gas Revisited". www.yalibnan.com. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
- ^ Goldstein, Tani (24 June 2010). "Landau: Israel willing to use force to protect gas finds". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
- ^ "Al-ManarTV:: Lebanon Grants Palestinians Right to Work, Passes Offshore Drilling Law 17/08/2010". Archived from the original on 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
- ^ Lazaroff, Tovah; Nahmias, Omri (1 October 2020). "First Israeli-Lebanese talks in 30 years to be held on maritime dispute". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ Gebeily, Maya; Lubell, Maayan (2022-10-27). "Israel, Lebanon finalise maritime demarcation deal without mutual recognition". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
- ^ "Lebanon and Israel agree maritime deal despite decades of hostility". Financial Times. 2022-10-28. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
This article incorporates public domain material from Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. "Background Note: Lebanon". U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
External links
- Israel-Lebanon Offshore Oil & Gas Dispute – Rules of International Maritime Law Martin Waehlisch, ASIL Insight (American Society of International Law), Vol. 15, Issue 3, Dec. 5, 2011.