The US aims to reach an agreement to normalise relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and attempt to stop the war with Hamas.
Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah reached a deal for a 60-day cease-fire after weeks of US reconciling negotiations.
It is a first step towards resolving a conflict that took thousands of lives and opened doors for peace initiatives in the Gaza Strip.
President Joe Biden announced at the White House that they cease-fire after having discussions with the leaders of Lebanon that would end the devastating conflict.
The United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey will make a new push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, claimed that Israel can intensify the pressure in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and concentrate on the Iranian threat.
The cease-fire proposal came after one of Biden’s Middle East representatives, Amos Hochstein, traveled back and forth between Israel and Lebanon to end the conflict before President-elect Donald Trump took office at the White House.
The United States and many other countries have classified Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations.
Even though there were some objections in Israel, Biden portrayed it as a first step towards a long-lasting peace in the area.
The US aims to reach an agreement to normalise relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and attempt to stop the war with Hamas.
Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged that all countries would cooperate to implement the agreement totally and prevent more violence.
This 60-day cease-fire can turn into a more lasting cease-fire after more than a year of fighting that has destroyed the Lebanon-Israel border and Israel bombing parts of Beirut and other Lebanese cities.
Brian Katulis, a former US official who is currently at the Middle East Institute, states that an agreement to stop the war between Hezbollah and Israel won’t easily translate to ending the war in Gaza since there are still many core regional tensions.
Hezbollah and Israel launched attacks shortly after Biden spoke. The militant organization claimed they had carried out drone attacks to target Tel Aviv sites.
Long-term cease-fire negotiations can be challenging as Israel wants Hezbollah to withdraw its fighters and weapons from the southern Lebanon border region. Lebanese military and United Nations forces are patrolling that area to ensure that happens.
These were the conditions of the United Nations resolution, known as 1701, which ended the war between the two parties in 2006. One obstacle to this cease-fire is that Israel insists on being able to strike Hezbollah positions if it believes that the group is violating the terms of the cease-fire agreement.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati of Lebanon stated that his government was committed to strengthening its army along the Israeli border as part of the cease-fire plan.
However, Netanyahu stated that the length of the cease-fire will depend on the events happening in Lebanon. He declared that they would strike if Hezbollah decided to re-arm.
Furthermore, not every member of the Israel security cabinet agreed to cease fire. Hardline Itamar Ben Gvir, the national security minister, voted against the cease-fire agreement, saying on a social media post that it was a grave mistake as the cease-fire would not help the residents of the north from returning to their homes, would not stop Hezbollah but will make them miss a historic change to strike them hard and force them on their knees.
Oil and gold prices have dropped as traders are optimistic that a cease-fire would help settle the Middle East.
Over 1.2 million people, or more than a fifth of the population, have been displaced in Lebanon by Israeli strikes, which have killed about 3,100 people in the last two months.
Regarding a potential peace with Hamas, Mara Rudman, who worked on Middle East affairs under the Clinton and Obama governments, expressed optimism. According to her, Netanyahu is obedient to his radical right ministers, who have never prioritized the hostages in Gaza.