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Berri attacks Netanyahu, calls him ‘liar’ after withdrawing from ceasefire deal

September 28, 2024 at 12:23 pm

Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon Nabih Berri speaks as the Lebanese parliament holds the 12th session to elect the 14th president in Beirut, Lebanon on June 14, 2023 [Hussam Shbaro – Anadolu Agency]

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stated to L’Orient Le Jour that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is lying to everyone and has withdrawn his approval of the ceasefire initiative.

Berri stressed that the 21-day ceasefire must apply to both Lebanon and Gaza, stressing that the people of the Gaza Strip cannot be abandoned.

Berri put forward a proposal for an initiative that includes working to reduce the escalation between Lebanon and Israel and launching a new path for negotiations.

Berri’s proposal combines the US proposals presented by US Envoy to Lebanon Amos Hochstein and the proposal previously presented by France, according to Sky News Arabia.

Its provisions initially include a four-week truce, including a cessation of military operations between the two sides, leading to a complete ceasefire, providing guarantees regarding reconstruction and the return of the displaced.

This will be followed by opening the path to demarcating the land borders, enhancing the capabilities of the Lebanese army to monitor the borders and stopping any military activity by Hezbollah.

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Sources pointed out that the proposal is based on reaching an agreement acceptable to the majority of the parties to implement Resolution 1701.

Sources informed on the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah asserted: “There is no Lebanese party capable of pressuring Hezbollah. Hezbollah can be advised, and proposals could be presented, but it is impossible to pressure it.”

The sources also noted: “Hezbollah still maintains its position that there will be no disconnection between Lebanon and Gaza, and the negotiations are no longer at the Lebanese level but at the international level.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Thursday that Israel will not stop until it achieves its goals.

He added in a statement after arriving in New York: “Our policy is clear: We continue to strike Hezbollah with full force. We will not stop until we achieve all our goals, foremost among them the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes. This is the policy, and no one should mistake it.”

An official accompanying Netanyahu to New York disclosed: “The direction they are going in is not accepting a ceasefire in Lebanon.”

Israel is currently fighting on two fronts, against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

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