![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")
Israeli protesters on Tuesday succeeded in stopping a convoy of aid trucks at the Kerem Shalom Crossing between Israel and Egypt.
The demonstrations, which began two and a half weeks ago, have pulled together Israelis from across the political spectrum who are incensed at the idea of allowing aid into the Gaza Strip, the majority of which ends up in the hands of Hamas, while the terror group continues to hold Israeli hostages.
“It is impossible, on the one hand, to fight Hamas to return the hostages and, on the other hand, to send it food and fuel,” Rachel Touitou, a spokeswoman for Tzav 9 (“Order 9”), the group behind the protests, told JNS. “We cannot both fight Hamas and feed it.”
On Tuesday, protesters blocked 132 trucks from entering Kerem Shalom, located at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip.
The success was a shot in the arm for Tzav 9, a reference to the Israel Defense Force’s “Order 8” used to call up reservists. (The protesters see themselves as reporting for duty, a kind of “citizens’ reserves.”)
According to Touitou, one of the reasons Tzav 9 is enjoying widespread support is that it is “apolitical.” Most of the organizers don’t belong to any political party and the group is careful not to involve politicians. “We are really a grassroots movement,” she explained.
The group has blocked aid trucks at the Kerem Shalom and Nitzana crossings. (The group is not behind similar protests at the port of Ashdod, but supports all efforts to stop supplies entering Gaza.)
One of Tzav 9’s leaders, Reut ben Haim, who lives in Netivot, a city about 10 miles from the Gaza Strip, posted a celebratory video on Tuesday.
“What a dizzying success. Today it happened and it’s thanks to you,” she said, pointing at the trucks behind her. “The trucks stand here full of food, water, supplies, everything that Hamas needs. But today they won’t reach the hands of Hamas because we’re here and we stopped it …, and today, Hamas goes to sleep hungry.”
It should be noted that Ynet, citing government sources, reported late Tuesday that the trucks did eventually go through. Touitou said that if they did, it wasn’t through the inspection point at Kerem Shalom, where protesters kept an all-night vigil, but she conceded it is possible the government used an alternate route.
Israeli opposition to humanitarian aid for Gaza is growing. A recent Channel 12 survey found 72% of the public is now against it. Touitou said comments made by Ronen Bar, director of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), at the end of January to the effect that Hamas steals between 60% and 70% of the aid jolted Israelis.
Following Tuesday’s success, young protesters camped out overnight at the crossing. Protesters say they will remain there 24/7. Tsav 9 is also planning other activities, including a motorcycle and SUV convoy on Friday under the slogan “Cut Hamas’s engine.”
Tzav 9 says the pressure needs to be kept up until the government gets the message that no more aid goes in until every hostage returns.
The message may be percolating upwards. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told a Likud faction meeting, “I have asked to examine the suspension of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip to prevent it from reaching Hamas, I asked the IDF to present alternatives to this as quickly as possible.” The Prime Minister’s Office would not confirm to JNS the accuracy of the report.
“Our activity is receiving an echo in the Knesset and the government,” Touitou said. “They see there is growing support for our actions and that they have a problem with an entire public that doesn’t understand why we are doing this—shooting ourselves in the foot.”
It would mark a shift for Netanyahu, who has defended the transfer of aid.
On Jan. 27, Netanyahu, in reaction to the protests, said that the aid was critical to the war effort as it preserved international support. He said the IDF chief of staff was “instructed to deal with the blockades because we need to ensure this minimal supply.”
Tzav 9, in a statement the same day, said that the prime minister wasn’t sending humanitarian aid, but essentially anti-humanitarian aid. “The hundreds of supply trucks to the Gaza Strip that enter the Gaza Strip every day are not humanitarian aid, but immediate supplies and oxygen for the murderous terrorist organization Hamas, which is fighting us.
“We understand that the prime minister is under heavy pressure to open the Kerem Shalom crossing for supply trucks and aid to Hamas. Our role as a nation is to push for exactly the opposite,” the group added.
Noting that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is again in Israel, and expected to push for additional humanitarian aid, Touitou said she would tell him that it’s unacceptable that Israel should be pressured to do things that no other country would be asked to do.
“The U.S. didn’t feed the Taliban. It didn’t feed its enemies in Mosul. It simply defies logic,” she said.
On one thing, at least, the protesters and the government see eye-to-eye. UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine, must go. “Israel hands the aid over to UNRWA and UNRWA says, ‘Whoops, Hamas took it,’” Touitou said.
At the Prime Minister’s Office briefing on Monday, Avi Hyman, spokesperson at the National Public Diplomacy Directorate, told JNS, “The prime minister himself has said that the time has come to replace UNRWA if and when possible. We need a situation by which aid goes to those needing it and not to the Hamas war machine.
“There are agencies, U.N. agencies and others, that deal with these problems. So the notion that there has to be one refugee agency for the Palestinian people, and another agency for everyone else on earth, is a notion that we’re definitely looking into at the moment,” he said.
The protesters hope the government is taking a firmer stand. Touitou said that from Tsav 9’s perspective, if the government had adopted the approach of “humanitarian aid for humanitarian aid” from the beginning, that is, demanding at the very least the humane treatment of Israeli hostages as a precondition, and not bowing to U.S. pressure for the immediate entry of aid to Gaza, then all the hostages would already be back home.