n the week since Israel and Lebanon agreed to a temporary cessation of hostilities, the Israeli military has repeatedly violated the agreement, launching a wave of attacks against what it claims are Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. What may superficially appear to be a brazen disregard for the terms of the deal brokered by the U.S. and France is in fact a dramatic demonstration of the exact intent of the Biden administration’s effort to ensure Israel would continue to pound Lebanon under the auspices of “self defense.” Both the framing of the deal itself and the Biden administration granting Israel a blank check in the form of a secret “side letter” essentially allow for Israel to continue its military assaults while demanding Hezbollah cease all its operations.
“This is an agreement outside of the UN system that effectively is framed and phrased in such a way to allow Israel to continue engaging in armed attacks inside Lebanon, certainly during the 60- day withdrawal period, and arguably even after that,” Maryam Jamishidi, an expert in international law and an associate professor at the University of Colorado Law School, told Drop Site News. ….more
