“The Americans wanted Paris to be involved”: how France worked for a ceasefire in Lebanon

A truce between Israel and Hezbollah. After more than a year of cross-border hostilities and two months of open war, the two enemies accepted the conditions of a ceasefire on Tuesday, November 26. The fruit of an intense diplomatic ballet orchestrated by Washington, but also by Paris, as explained to TF1info by David Rigoulet-Roze, researcher associated with IRIS and editor-in-chief of the journal “Orients Stratégies”.

Does the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah constitute a diplomatic victory for France?

David Rigoulet-Pink : A Franco-American pair has been formed for several months to obtain this ceasefire. France is therefore part of the success of the agreement, even if things have not always been simple: on the Israeli side, there was resistance to Paris having too important a role. In particular because of the dispute which has arisen, especially in recent weeks, between Emmanuel Macron and Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as declarations considered untimely, with misunderstandings on both sides.

This may have justified suspicion on the Israeli side, even though there was a request on the Lebanese side that France be involved in the negotiation process due to the old historical relations between the two countries. This was obviously also desired by the Americans, who ended up convincing the Jewish state that it was not possible for France not to be part of the process. Particularly within the framework of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism involving UNIFIL (the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Editor's note), in which France participates with around 700 soldiers.

How to explain the influence of French diplomacy in the negotiations?

France has a very old tradition of relations with Lebanon. She has the opportunity to discuss with a number of Lebanese interlocutors, including discreetly with representatives of Hezbollah. The Americans therefore wanted Paris to be involved in the discussions, even if French influence is undoubtedly less important than in the past: we saw this in January, with the French plan submitted for Lebanon. It could not be validated, because there was obstruction from Hezbollah, then the launch of the operation in Lebanon changed the situation.

• Read also

  Ceasefire in Lebanon: what does the truce agreement which will begin this Wednesday contain?

How can France participate in respecting the ceasefire?

There will be Franco-American supervision, but the real guarantee for respecting the ceasefire rests essentially with the United States. It was the Americans who validated the safeguard clause, for Israel, to be able to relaunch operations in the event of violation of the terms of the agreement.

Is this agreement a hard blow for Hezbollah?

It acts as a strategic devaluation of Hezbollah. Both on the external level, as a privileged proxy for Iran, and on the internal level, of the Lebanese political scene. It is weakened as it has rarely been: it has lost two thirds of its ammunition and its weapons, as well as nearly 3,500 militiamen, its political-military structure has been decapitated. This is why he finds himself forced to accept the restrictive terms of the agreement. While he had until then obstructed the Israeli demand to intervene again on Lebanese soil in the event of a violation of the ceasefire. Hezbollah, which argued this opposition by seeing it as an obstacle to Lebanese sovereignty, ultimately had to give it up.