Issues

Lebanon

Talking Points on Middle East Crisis

Posted on Thursday July 20, 2006

US Leadership Is Required to End Violence in the Middle East

• With the escalating violence in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon leading to the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians, American leadership is needed more than ever to stop the violence, address its effects on the civilian populations, and ease the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. The President should join international calls for an immediate ceasefire and reiterate America’s position that the targeting of civilians is unacceptable.

• Previous U.S. administrations have recognized the gravity of such situations and America’s direct involvement has historically had a calming effect and allowed for restraint and diplomacy. Like Senator George Mitchell’s successful negotiations in Ireland, the appointment of a special envoy with the full authority of the President will serve as a positive, and necessary, first step. The United States should immediately deploy a high ranking Administration official or envoy to negotiate an immediate ceasefire and set conditions for comprehensive peace.

• Despite President Bush’s repeated statements for Israel not to undermine Lebanon’s fragile democracy, Israel continues to target Lebanon’s state infrastructure and civilians. This form of collective punishment is creating an untenable situation for the security of the Lebanese government and its citizens. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, with a majority of the population living below the poverty line and without access to medical care. The United States government should echo the G8’s statement that Israel be “…mindful of the strategic and humanitarian consequences of its actions…and call upon Israel to exercise utmost restraint, seeking to avoid casualties among innocent civilians and damage to civilian infrastructure and to refrain from acts that would destabilize the Lebanese government.”

• Israel’s military campaign against Lebanon and Palestine has completely sealed Lebanon off by sea, land and air. The bombing of the Beirut International Airport, bridges, roads, factories, electricity plants, and other civilian infrastructure threatens to set back an already fragile but recovering economy. Soon, the country will face a serious humanitarian crisis. In addition, the recent conflict has killed the summer tourist season that is vital to Lebanon’s economy. In Gaza, the persistence of the Israeli stranglehold and suffocation of the Palestinian economy and population has led to the imprisonment of 1.4 million civilians, among them the elderly, women, and children who are in dire need of food and medical care. Billions of dollars of destruction to state infrastructure will require a comprehensive reconstruction process. The United States government should play a leading role in the convening of a donor’s conference aimed to help rebuild Lebanon once again and must immediately provide aid to stem the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

• The Lebanese government has clearly stated that it was not aware of Hizballah’s actions and has disavowed them. Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora is pleading for international assistance to help establish the central government’s authority throughout all of Lebanon’s sovereign territory. The Lebanese government does not have the political or military capability to disarm Hizballah and prevent its unilateral resistance against Israel. Furthermore, in testimony provided to Congress on July 28, 2005, C. David Welch, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs stated, “The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) should deploy throughout the country, and in particular to the south, as called for in UNSCR 1559. In order to better accomplish this mission, the LAF needs both equipment and training. While the United States can offer some support…we urge our allies and friends to offer assistance in the form of training and equipment refurbishment.” The United States Government should support the UN and EU plan to deploy an international force to keep the peace that will contribute to the establishment of a comprehensive cease fire. In addition, the United States government should support the extension and expansion of UNIFIL’s mission to help the Lebanese government meet their international demands.

• Implementation of UNSCR 1550 in Lebanon will not be easy. It will require both diligence and attentiveness to the needs of all segments of Lebanese society and cannot be imposed by force. Because the US supports the aspirations of Lebanon to live as a free and democratic society, it is incumbent that we assist them through this necessary and difficult process. If Lebanese are to make tough choices for peace, then we must be ready to support them and provide them with the means to achieve national unity and prosperity.

• The United States and Lebanon share friendly bi-lateral relations. U.S. assistance to Lebanon averages around $35 million per year. These funds are directed to non-governmental organizations through the United States Agency for International Development (US AID). The United States does not provide direct assistance to the Lebanese government. Despite this fact, calls to cut off assistance to Lebanon are not new and they are now being repeated by Members of Congress as a way to apply pressure on the Lebanese government to deploy its national army to the blue line. The United States government should support continued assistance to the Lebanese people. It is vital that the United States make true on its promise to protect and advance the democratic development of the Middle East.

• Working with the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the United States should support efforts to achieve a national consensus for peace, making it clear that with the creation of a Palestinian government committed to a peaceful solution, the US will aggressively press for the resumption of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians leading to a viable and mutually agreed upon two-state solution.