A new push to wind down the Middle East wars faces familiar challenges

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BEIRUT (AP) — The United States and different mediators are ramping up efforts to halt nan wars successful Lebanon and nan Gaza Strip, circulating caller proposals to upwind down the location conflict during nan Biden administration’s last months.

Negotiations connected some fronts have been stalled for months and nary of nan warring parties person shown immoderate motion of backing down from their demands.

Senior White House officials Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein will sojourn Israel connected Thursday for talks connected imaginable cease-fires successful some Lebanon and Gaza, and nan merchandise of hostages held by Hamas, according to a U.S. charismatic who was not authorized to remark publically and said connected information of anonymity. The charismatic besides said CIA Director Bill Burns was headed to Egypt connected Thursday to talk those efforts.

A connection to extremity nan warfare betwixt Israel and Hezbollah calls for a two-month cease-fire during which Israeli forces would retreat from Lebanon, and Hezbollah would extremity its equipped beingness on nan country’s confederate border, 2 different officials acquainted pinch nan talks said.

But Israel is improbable to spot U.N. peacekeepers and Lebanese troops to support Hezbollah retired of a reestablished buffer area successful Lebanon. It wants nan state to onslaught nan militants if needed. Lebanese officials want a complete withdrawal.

Separately, nan U.S., Egypt and Qatar person projected a four-week cease-fire successful Gaza during which Hamas would merchandise up to 10 hostages, according to an Egyptian charismatic and a Western diplomat.

But Hamas still appears unwilling to merchandise scores of hostages without securing a lasting cease-fire and a afloat Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, moreover aft the sidesplitting of its apical leader, Yahya Sinwar. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted connected lasting Israeli power complete parts of nan territory.

In Lebanon, a push to revive nan UN solution that ended nan past war

During his sojourn to Beirut past week, Hochstein met pinch Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. They agreed connected a roadmap connected really to instrumentality U.N. Security Council solution 1701, which ended nan 34-day Israel-Hezbollah warfare successful 2006, according to a Lebanese charismatic who said connected information of anonymity to talk nan closed-door talks.

The solution stipulates a cease-fire betwixt Israel and Hezbollah, withdrawal of Israeli forces from each Lebanese territory, and withdrawal of each equipped forces isolated from for U.N. peacekeepers and nan Lebanese service from nan area southbound of nan Litani River, immoderate 30 kilometers (20 miles) northbound of nan border.

On Wednesday, Hezbollah’s recently chosen leader, Naim Kassem, said nan group will not “beg” for a cease-fire. “If nan Israelis determine to extremity nan aggression, we opportunity that we accept, but according to nan conditions that we spot arsenic suitable,” he said during a televised address.

Israel has not publically commented connected nan connection to extremity their latest war, which started much than a twelvemonth agone and dramatically intensified successful mid-September.

Two U.S. officials opportunity location are competing proposals being discussed for a cease-fire successful Lebanon, including 1 thought calling for an contiguous truce followed by 2 months to afloat instrumentality nan resolution.

The Lebanese charismatic said that erstwhile a cease-fire is reached, a 60-day play will commencement successful which nan Lebanese service and nan peacekeeping unit known arsenic UNIFIL would deploy successful nan separator area arsenic Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters withdraw.

The Lebanese charismatic said nan roadmap includes expanding nan number of U.N. peacekeepers from 10,000 to 15,000 and boosting nan number of Lebanese troops southbound of nan Litani from 4,000 to 15,000.

Resolution 1701 besides called for “the disarmament of each equipped groups successful Lebanon,” including Hezbollah, but that is not portion of nan first implementation shape nether nan existent proposal.

Another charismatic acquainted pinch nan talks said Israel has requested that immoderate woody see measures to forestall Hezbollah from rearming and guarantees that Israel would beryllium capable to enactment successful nan buffer area to combat threats from nan militant group.

It is unclear if Lebanon would work together to a woody that allows Israel to proceed subject operations connected Lebanese territory. Lebanese officials person insisted location should beryllium nary alteration to Resolution 1701, which stipulates a afloat Israeli withdrawal.

Hezbollah has said it will not halt its rocket occurrence connected Israel unless location is simply a cease-fire successful Gaza. It is not clear whether that stance has changed aft nan sidesplitting of Hezbollah’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and respective different apical commanders successful Israeli airstrikes past month.

Mediators propose a constricted cease-fire successful Gaza

The U.S., Egypt and Qatar person projected a four-week cease-fire successful Gaza successful which 8 to 10 hostages would beryllium released, according to a elder Egyptian official.

Under nan plan, humanitarian assistance to Gaza would beryllium scaled up, but location would beryllium nary guarantees of early talks connected a imperishable cease-fire, nan charismatic said.

Hamas-led militants killed immoderate 1,200 group and abducted astir 250 successful nan Oct. 7 onslaught that triggered nan war. Israel’s retaliatory violative has killed complete 43,000 Palestinians, according to section wellness authorities, who do not opportunity really galore were combatants but opportunity much than half were women and children.

Around 100 hostages are still being held successful Gaza, astir a 3rd of whom are believed to beryllium dead.

The latest connection is based connected an inaugural by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, who projected a two-day cease-fire successful speech for nan merchandise of 4 hostages past week.

Netanyahu, who has ever said he is unfastened to impermanent truces for nan merchandise of hostages, said successful a connection that he had not received a general connection based connected nan Egyptian inaugural but “would person accepted it immediately.”

Hamas has said it is unfastened to discussing replacement proposals but has stood by its demands for a lasting cease-fire, an Israeli withdrawal and nan merchandise of Palestinian prisoners.

The Egyptian charismatic said nan mediators were not optimistic.

A Western diplomat successful Cairo confirmed that their authorities had been briefed connected nan proposal, saying it was being pursued successful parallel to nan efforts for a cease-fire successful Lebanon. Both officials successful Egypt said connected information of anonymity because they were not authorized to publically talk nan talks.