Sana'a - Saba:
As the Zionist aggression against the Gaza Strip and Lebanon continues, negotiations continue regarding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and between Hezbollah and the Zionist enemy entity, amidst increasing rejection by Hamas and Hezbollah of any settlement according to the dictates of the usurping entity and rejection of any surrender conditions.
The negotiations regarding the ceasefire in Gaza ended before they were completed, and as for Hezbollah, the party had not originally built hopes on the possibility of their success, as it believes that Benjamin Netanyahu does not want to stop the war or a permanent ceasefire.
The party bases its reading on Netanyahu's positions and methodology, and on a key word he said in his speech before the US Congress, that he will continue the war until the radicalism and military reality in Gaza are "eliminated".
This means that the war will be long and will take years, while Hezbollah believes that the United States of America still provides full cover for Netanyahu, despite his retreat more than once from what was previously agreed upon, including the proposal that the movement approved on July 2, 2024.
In the last round of negotiations in Qatar, the Zionists renewed their conditions of not withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor, the Rafah Crossing, and the Netzarim Crossing, i.e. not withdrawing militarily from the Gaza Strip, while Hamas adheres to this demand.
Hamas completely rejected these conditions and considered them a change to what had been previously agreed upon, and described what is happening as imposing surrender conditions on the movement.
In the technical negotiations that took place in Cairo between the Egyptian army and a delegation from the Zionist enemy army and the Shin Bet, no agreement was reached regarding the Philadelphi Corridor, as the Zionists insisted on remaining there.
Coinciding with the arrival of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to the occupied Palestinian territories, the US-Zionist proposals for a ceasefire were leaked, which do not stipulate that the ceasefire should be permanent, but rather leave the negotiations on this for the second stage of completing the agreement, which means resorting to agreeing to the first stage of the truce for a period of six weeks during which the prisoners will be released, after which Netanyahu will continue the war and military operations, and complete the negotiations under military pressure on a permanent ceasefire, which Hamas completely rejected.
The proposal stipulates that the ceasefire will be negotiated for a specific period, especially since Netanyahu is still demanding an American pledge to support him in continuing the war after the truce.
The agreement also stipulates Zionist monitoring of aid entry operations, and the Zionist entity's insistence on monitoring and inspecting the Palestinians who will return from the south to the north through the Netzarim crossing, which divides the Strip into two parts.
The Zionist entity also returned to raising the number of prisoners it demands to be deported to 150 prisoners, and refused to negotiate reconstruction, and requested to postpone it to the second stage.
The proposal also does not include any reference to the Zionist entity withdrawing from the Strip in the second stage of the agreement or the truce.
All of these conditions were rejected by Hamas, which considered them surrender conditions, and that Netanyahu wants to devote in negotiations, politics and the agreement what he seeks to achieve through war and military operations.
These conditions also fueled the dispute in the Zionist entity between Netanyahu, his ministers and his army, to the point where the Chief of Staff threatened to resign if the deal was not approved, especially since the Zionist enemy army submitted a report to the government stating that there was no need to stick to staying in the Philadelphi axis, but rather it could return to it whenever it wanted, but Netanyahu refused and insisted on staying in the axis.. Also, former Minister of War Yoav Galant at the time accused Netanyahu of being the one obstructing the deal.
In the Lebanese affair with the entity, while some are seeking to reach a political settlement aimed at calming the situation, Hezbollah believes that the Zionist entity is not in a position that enables it to impose conditions on Lebanon, and stresses the necessity that any settlement be in Lebanon's interest first, far from Zionist hegemony.
Experts believe that the Zionist entity seeks to impose unacceptable conditions on Lebanon through the United Nations and the international forces (UNIFIL), with the aim of launching open military operations against Hezbollah, as the usurping entity wants the Lebanese army and UNIFIL to implement what they failed to achieve, which is disarming Hezbollah elements in the area south of the Litani River. They stressed that surrendering to these conditions represents a transgression of all the sacrifices of the Lebanese resistance.
Experts believe that these perceptions aim to "organize the Zionist entity's discourse in the war against Lebanon and set unrealistic goals." According to experts, the Zionist demands represent a challenge to Lebanese dignity, as "surrender after all the sacrifices that have occurred is impossible and unacceptable," and any settlement that takes place according to these conditions cannot be accepted.
Hezbollah's rejection of the Zionist proposals related to the ceasefire, according to experts, comes because the Zionist entity is in a position that does not allow it to impose conditions on Lebanon, and Hezbollah will not accept any agreement that gives the Lebanese army the task of destroying the party's infrastructure in the south of the Litani River.
Experts believe that this would be tantamount to turning the Lebanese army into a "Zionist arm" to achieve its goals.
They also pointed out that one of the clauses included in the Zionist proposals, which allows the usurping entity to "protect itself from Hezbollah" through military action inside Lebanon, is unacceptable, because this would give the entity the right to infiltrate and launch assassinations, kidnappings, and attacks inside Lebanese territory under the pretext of "self-defense." Hezbollah considered this clause to be "submission to Zionist hegemony over Lebanon."
Experts confirm that there is still great pessimism inside Lebanon about the possibility of reaching an agreement that satisfies all parties.
While the talks continue, Hezbollah is concerned that American pressure will push Lebanon to accept Zionist conditions that may not guarantee Lebanon's national sovereignty.
In light of this tense atmosphere, the Wall Street Journal reported that US President-elect Donald Trump has given his approval to the broad outlines of an agreement that would lead to a ceasefire in northern Lebanon.
According to the report, Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer presented these proposals during a meeting with Trump this week, who expressed his hope that they could be implemented before he enters the White House on January 20.
As part of the mediation efforts, US envoy Amos Hochstein delivered a draft ceasefire agreement to the Lebanese government last Tuesday, informing Lebanese officials that he would not visit Beirut unless they were seriously prepared to conclude the agreement.
Hochstein delivered the draft to Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who received the copy on behalf of Hezbollah, in a move aimed at ensuring active support for the agreement.
Written by Abdulaziz Al-Hazi
M.M