Not Quiet on the Northern Front

After the attack on Israel from Gaza on October 7 by Hamas, Hezbollah decided to attack Israel from Lebanon. Hezbollah is an internationally recognized terror organization funded by a common benefactor, Iran. Outside of Israel, this facet of the war has gained little attention in the news. Lives have been lost along with the destruction of homes, businesses, farms, and forests set ablaze. Israelis in their prime of life have had their education and careers interrupted to ensure their country’s survival. Unlike the barbaric unimaginable images from the Gaza border communities after October 7, there has been even less reporting of the attacks from the north. There was no public outcry then, so it is no wonder there is none now.

Many cities in the north of Israel have been vacated because of their proximity to Lebanon within range of a constant barrage of thousands of rockets and projectiles. People have had to leave their homes, and jobs, while their children must leave their local familiar school. We never hear of the trauma that these children are going through. The border town of Kiryat Shmona with 25,000 residents is one of many that is deserted. A city of that size would be equivalent to an American city of over 750,000. Imagine a border city the size of El Paso Texas, having to vacate the population because of rocket attacks from neighboring Mexico. The world would be outraged. No country would accept it.

Again, the UN has failed at their job. A UN resolution, 1701 was in place ending the Israel Lebanon war in 2006 which required that UN troops along with the Lebanese army patrol a buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon in the north. They have now been replaced by Hezbollah forces firing on Israel’s civilian population. The UN has been silent in condemning these attacks. There was also a resolution to disallow armed militias in Lebanon, but Hezbollah has a military force stronger than the Lebanese army.

Lebanon’s economy has been devastated for the last few years with massive inflation and bank closures and even people robbing banks to get their own money out. Another war sparked by Hezbollah would drive more people out of the country. To add to the crisis, Lebanon has not had a president for over a year because parliament could not approve a candidate with the proper majority. The government of Lebanon has an unusual structure where parliament elects a president. The president must be a Maronite Christian; the prime minister, a Sunni Muslim; and the speaker of the house, a Shia Muslim. Hezbollah has a strong presence in parliament.

Israel recently negotiated a maritime border treaty with Lebanon to settle gas exploration disputes in the Mediterranean, which someday might lead to a land border agreement. There are over 200,000 Palestinians living in Lebanon without full citizenship rights like access to colleges and certain professions. If Lebanon along with other Arab countries could be encouraged to offer refugees more opportunities it would demonstrate more support of the Palestinian people, instead of the same empty rhetoric.  Overcoming a strong political party like Hezbollah with influence from Iran will be difficult.

With the upcoming US election, many interrelated issues will come into focus. Saudi Arabia wants to negotiate an alliance treaty with the US and Israel to put up a stronger defense against Iran. It is in the best interest of the US and moderate Arab countries, as well as Israel to build up an alliance to counter act Iran’s threats and prevent its nuclear capability. Saudi Arabia wants to diversify their economy away from just energy. They could benefit from an treaty with Israel utilizing Israel’s technology and expertise. The United States can play a key role in accomplishing peace in the region by bringing more Arab countries into an Abraham Accords type of an agreement and further weakening Iran’s influence.

It has been stated many times that Israel is subject to a double standard in war, but they are really subject to a triple standard. If one country invades its neighbor, it is acceptable to retaliate. If two countries have a border skirmish, it is just part of war. If Israel is attacked by a terrorist organization and responds with force to defend itself, they are labeled the aggressor. If they continue to root out the terrorists and attempt to save the lives of their hostages, they are committing genocide. A false narrative is created and spread to cover an inaccurate back story.

If no diplomatic agreement can be reached soon, Israel will need to push back Hezbollah beyond the buffer zone to restore peace to the area. No country can thrive when its citizens are displaced for an extended period of time. There is no acceptable number of displaced residents. Both countries keep warning that further hostilities could lead to a full-scale war, but to the people displaced on both sides, they are already feeling the full effect of war. With a strong alliance of countries seeking peace, the danger from future threats by Iran and its proxies can be prevented.