![Israel must continue to be able to deter Hezbollah, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar stressed on Wednesday, speaking amid efforts to reach a ceasefire with Iran's Lebanese terrorist proxy. "We need to keep the freedom to act if there will be violations. And we will have to act in time, before the problem will grow," the minister told a gathering of nearly 100 foreign ambassadors in Jerusalem, the Times of Israel reported. A deal to end more than a year of fighting on the northern border must be durable, Sa'ar said, saying Jerusalem “would like to reach an agreement that will stand the test of time." He added that a ceasefire would be an "opportunity" for Lebanon to regain its sovereignty after the Israeli military severely degraded the Iranian-backed group in recent months. He called for the Lebanese Armed Forces to be strengthened and urged the international community to invest more in the economically devastated country, which is drowning in debt following years of mismanagement and corruption. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also emphasized on Wednesday the necessity for Jerusalem to be able to act against any Hezbollah threats that may arise after a ceasefire deal is implemented. “The condition for any political settlement in Lebanon is the preservation of the intelligence capability and the preservation of the [IDF’s] right to act and protect the citizens of Israel from Hezbollah,” Katz said. Meanwhile, U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein remained in Beirut for a second day on Wednesday to discuss "technical details" of an American ceasefire proposal with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement. President Joe Biden's point man in the Land of the Cedars announced he would travel to Israel on Wednesday night, speaking after he made "additional progress" in a second meeting with Berri. Hochstein was scheduled to meet with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer shortly after his arrival, followed by a tête-à-tête with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the following day. “The meeting today built on the meeting yesterday, and made additional progress,” Hochstein said. “So I will travel from here in a couple hours to Israel to try to bring this to a close if we can.” The Biden envoy added that he will work with the incoming Trump administration on ceasefire efforts, saying that he has kept the president-elect's transition team informed of progress. Hochstein described as "very productive" his meetings with Lebanese officials on Tuesday. “We have a real opportunity to end the conflict, and now is the moment to decide. We are committed to doing everything we can to work with Lebanon and Israel to end this conflict,” Hochstein said at a press conference on Tuesday. Hochstein also met on Tuesday with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and he was scheduled to meet with Lebanese Armed Forces commander Gen. Joseph Aoun. Mikati emphasized that Lebanon’s primary objectives are achieving a ceasefire and safeguarding its sovereignty. He highlighted the need to implement international resolutions and bolster the Lebanese Armed Forces in the southern part of the country. Lebanon delivered its written response to the latest U.S. proposal on Monday. According to Ali Hassan Khalil, an aide to Berri, the response included “comments” that were “presented in a positive atmosphere.” He did not provide details on the nature of the comments, saying only that they “affirm the precise adherence to [U.N. Security Council] Resolution 1701 with all its provisions,” according to Reuters. Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said in a speech on Wednesday that the terrorist group had "read the ceasefire proposal. "We have our comments, and Nabih Berri has comments, and ours and the Lebanese government's comments are, Inshallah ['God willing'], identical," Qassem said. "We have decided not to discuss these ceasefire proposals or our comments in the media. All I will say is that Israeli is trying to obtain through negotiations what it couldn't through war." The terrorist leader vowed to “continue our efforts on the ground, whether the negotiations succeed or not. “We are confronting a savage enemy, and we will remain on the ground, no matter the cost, as we will also increase the cost for the enemy. We are facing Israeli human monsters supported by American human monsters,” threatened Qassem. Disarm and retreat Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War, stipulated that Hezbollah must disarm and retreat north of the Litani River, but was never enforced. The Litani lies some 20 miles from the Israel-Lebanon border. Its enforcement, along with Israeli freedom of operation in Lebanon should Hezbollah violate the terms of a ceasefire agreement, are the key sticking points in the current negotiations. Netanyahu emphasized during a speech in the Knesset plenum on Monday that Israel will not allow Hezbollah to “return to the state it was in on Oct. 6, 2023. “We will be required, in order to ensure our security in the north, to systematically carry out operations—not only against Hezbollah’s attacks, which could come. Even if there is a ceasefire, nobody can guarantee it will hold. So it’s not only our reaction, a preventive reaction, a reaction in the wake of attack but also the capacity to prevent Hezbollah from strengthening,” he said. Hezbollah has launched some 16,000 rockets, missiles and drones from Lebanon at Israel since joining the war in support of Hamas on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after the Gaza-based terrorist group’s massacre in southern Israel. More than 60,000 residents of northern Israel remain internally displaced due to the ongoing rocket and drone attacks from Lebanon. Seventy-six people in northern Israel have been killed by Hezbollah cross-border rocket, missile and drone attacks since the start of the war, including 31 soldiers and six foreign citizens, according to the latest data provided by the Prime Minister’s Office, updated on Sunday. In addition, 729 people have been wounded, including 497 civilians and 232 soldiers. Of these, 29 civilians and 37 soldiers were severely injured; 63 civilians and 38 soldiers were moderately injured and 405 civilians and 157 soldiers were lightly injured. Hezbollah’s leadership has been left in tatters following a series of targeted killings by Israel, including that of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut on Sept. 27. This was preceded by Israeli sabotage of Hezbollah communication devices that killed 39 people and wounded more than 3,400 members of the terrorist group. Israel has been waging a devastating aerial campaign against Hezbollah throughout Lebanon, including its stronghold of Dahieh south of Beirut. According to Israeli estimates, the terrorist group has lost most of its arsenal to the ongoing strikes. Then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in late October that Hezbollah had lost an estimated 80%-plus of its long-range rockets since the start of the war. Israel also continues to battle Hamas terrorists in Gaza. The terrorist group still holds 101 hostages in the Strip, 97 of whom were kidnapped on Oct. 7. Many of the captives are believed to be dead. Brazil summit Meanwhile, G20 leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro for a summit put out a joint statement on Monday calling for “comprehensive” ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon. The leaders of the world’s biggest economies called for U.S. proposals to end fighting in Gaza and free the hostages, and one for Lebanon “that enables citizens to return safely to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line.” The 13-point U.S. proposal presented to Lebanese officials on Nov. 14 includes a 60-day truce, during which Lebanon would redeploy its troops along the border. The proposal also calls for Moscow to prevent Hezbollah from resupplying itself via Syrian land routes. Hezbollah would retreat north of the Litani River, with the border area then being under control of the Lebanese Armed Forces, overseen by the United States and Britain. Israeli officials are emphasizing, however, that the Israel Defense Forces must retain freedom of operation in Lebanon to thwart attempts by Hezbollah to violate the agreement and rearm and reestablish itself. A senior Israeli diplomatic official told Israel Hayom on Saturday that the IDF will retain operational freedom to respond to any security threats from across the northern border, regardless of any diplomatic arrangements. However, a source close to Hezbollah told The Washington Post that the group’s “condition for progress remains clear: Israel must be prohibited from conducting operations within Lebanese territory.” Berri emphasized at the time that any ceasefire agreement must not include the ability for Israel to attack by land, sea or air, Channel 12 reported. “Otherwise, what’s the purpose of an agreement?” he remarked. Another sticking point is Lebanon’s objection to the United Kingdom and Germany monitoring the implementation of U.N. Resolution 1701. Beirut reportedly favors the United States and France. If the ceasefire efforts fail, there are plans in the works to expand ground operations in Lebanon, an Israeli military official told the Post. Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer discussed the proposal with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump during a visit to his Florida estate earlier this month, as well as with senior Biden administration officials in Washington. Dermer also traveled to Russia to discuss the ceasefire proposal. Tehran is telling its Lebanese terrorist proxy Hezbollah that it supports ending the war against Israel, The New York Times reported over the weekend. Ali Larijani, senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, met with senior Lebanese officials in Beirut on Nov. 15 to discuss the matter. Two Iranians affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps told the Times that Larijani conveyed messages to Hezbollah from Khamenei that he supported the end of the war and that the regime would assist with rebuilding the terrorist group’s forces and recovering from the war.](https://jewishwebsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Gideon-Saar-1320x880-2-218x150.jpg "Sa’ar: Israel must be free to act against Hezbollah truce violations")
During his State of the Union address on Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden announced an “emergency mission” to establish a port in the Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian supplies.
“Tonight, I’m directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the Gaza coast that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters,” the president said.
The port, which will be set up in “a number of weeks,” will allow the equivalent of “hundreds” of truckloads of aid to enter Gaza daily, senior administration officials told reporters ahead of Biden’s speech.
Speaking on background, the officials said that Washington coordinated with Israel and Cyprus, with the shipments arriving from the neighboring island country. U.S. troops will not participate in the operation on the ground in Gaza, and Washington will coordinate security for the port with Jerusalem.
“The president has directed that we look at all options, that we not wait for the Israelis, and that we are pursuing every channel possible to get assistance into Gaza,” one of the officials said.
The Biden administration has increasingly described Israel as an obstacle to aid entering Gaza and has said that it was considering opening a maritime corridor. The U.S. military began airdropping food supplies directly to Gazan civilians on Saturday, but it has acknowledged that the tens of thousands of meals delivered in each airdrop are only a small supplement to the aid requirements of more than two million Gazans.
Once maritime aid arrives in Gaza, the United Nations and “other humanitarian partners” will deliver it, the senior officials said.
Biden allotted a part of the speech to discuss the Israel-Hamas war and his administration’s vision for the Middle East, calling the last five months since the Hamas-led massacre of Oct. 7 “gut-wrenching.”
“Israel has a right to go after Hamas,” Biden said.
“Hamas could end this conflict today by releasing the hostages, laying down arms, and surrendering those responsible for October 7th,” the president continued.
“Israel has an added burden because Hamas hides and operates among the civilian population. But Israel also has a fundamental responsibility to protect innocent civilians in Gaza.”
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients said in an interview with Politico on Thursday that Biden’s State of the Union would address Gaza “head-on.”
“The president is working hour by hour to negotiate an immediate and sustained cease-fire in Gaza over a period of at least six weeks, as part of a deal that would release hostages and get significantly more humanitarian aid in,” Zients said.
“He wants enduring peace in the region so that Palestinians and Israelis can live with security, dignity in two states—something he is actively working towards every day,” Zients added.
During his address, Biden said that “we’ve been working non-stop to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last for at least six weeks. It would get the hostages home, ease the intolerable humanitarian crisis, and build toward something more enduring.”
SOTU guests
In his State of the Union remarks Thursday evening in Washington, Biden addressed family members of American hostages held by Hamas in Gaza who were watching the speech from the gallery. (At least 17 family members of hostages were in attendance.)
“Here in the chamber tonight are American families whose loved ones are still being held by Hamas,” the president said.
“I pledge to all the families that we will not rest until we bring their loved ones home.”
Eight of the Americans whom Hamas terrorists kidnapped and took to Gaza on Oct. 7 remain in the Strip, including two who are known to be dead.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and 14 other House members from both parties, spoke at a Wednesday press conference in the Cannon House Office Building. Family members of hostages joined them.
“This was an attack on America, and, as a reminder, as much as they hate Israel, they also hate us,” said Gottheimer, who organized the event. “They are Iranian-backed proxies who continue to wage attacks on our bases, on Americans and our families.”
“We want to make sure that no American forgets that Americans are still being held hostage as we speak,” Gottheimer added. “Despite Israel’s agreement to terms of a temporary pause, Hamas refuses to agree to the negotiated terms.”
Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) asked why the Israeli hostages in Gaza haven’t received worldwide attention and support as did the nearly 300 Nigerian school children, whom Boko Haram kidnapped. (Wilson was a leading advocate of the “Bring Back Our Girls” campaign.)
“I am demanding the same kind of worldwide advocacy for the release of the Israeli hostages kidnapped by the terrorist group Hamas,” she said. “Bring back the hostages. The time to act is now. We cannot allow these families to endure endless suffering, living each day in the shadow of uncertainty, not knowing whether their loved ones are even alive, much less what conditions they are in.”
Wilson called on fellow members of Congress to wear blue each Wednesday in solidarity with the hostages and to promote the cause on social media. (She wore red weekly on Wednesdays for seven years as part of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign.)
Members of Congress can invite a guest to attend the president’s annual address to Congress, with congressional leadership and the White House allotted additional invites. Sixteen senators and congressmen extended invites to the hostage family members, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
“This has to stay in front of politicians. It has to stay in front of the media, and it has to stay in front of the public,” stated Ronen Neutra, father of American hostage Omer Neutra, who with his wife Orna Neutra will be a guest of Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) at the State of the Union.
“This is one of the biggest stages of the year,” Neutra said. “We are hopeful that President Biden will mention us and our dear ones in his speech, and I know he cares deeply about the situation.”
Biden has said that he wants a ceasefire-for-hostages deal in place in time for the start of Ramadan, which is expected to begin Sunday at sundown.
The senior officials said on the press call on Thursday that there was no hard deadline for the deal, acknowledging that Hamas leaders have directly called for violence during Ramadan. “I think Hamas has said what their intentions might be,” one official said.
Two-state solution
Biden also said that a Palestinian state next to Israel is “the only real solution,” despite it being rejected by the political leadership in Jerusalem and, according to polling, large swathes of the Israeli and Palestinian public.
“As we look to the future, the only real solution is a two-state solution. I say this as a lifelong supporter of Israel and the only American president to visit Israel in wartime,” the president said.
“There is no other path that guarantees Israel’s security and democracy. There is no other path that guarantees Palestinians can live with peace and dignity. There is no other path that guarantees peace between Israel and all of its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia,” he continued.
Iranian threat
The president also briefly addressed the U.S. response to threats posed by the regime in Tehran, including the U.S.-led coalition to counter Houthi attacks to shipping interests in the Red Sea
“Creating stability in the Middle East also means containing the threat posed by Iran,” the president said.
“That’s why I built a coalition of more than a dozen countries to defend international shipping and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. I’ve ordered strikes to degrade Houthi capabilities and defend U.S. forces in the region. As commander in chief, I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and military personnel.”