U.S., allies call for 'immediate' 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah
CTV
The U.S., France and other allies jointly called Wednesday for an 'immediate' 21-day ceasefire to allow for negotiations in the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 600 people in Lebanon in recent days.
The U.S., France and other allies jointly called Wednesday for an "immediate" 21-day ceasefire to allow for negotiations in the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 600 people in Lebanon in recent days.
The joint statement, negotiated on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, says the recent fighting is "intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation."
"We call for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy," the statement reads. "We call on all parties, including the Governments of Israel and Lebanon, to endorse the temporary ceasefire immediately."
There was no immediate reaction from the Israeli or Lebanese governments -- or Hezbollah -- but senior U.S. officials said all parties were aware of the call for a ceasefire and would be speaking for themselves in the coming hours. The officials said Hezbollah would not be a signatory to the ceasefire, but they believe the government of Lebanon would coordinate its acceptance with the group.
While the ceasefire call applies only to the Israel-Lebanon border, senior U.S. officials said they were looking to use a three-week pause in fighting there to restart stalled negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.
The nations calling for a ceasefire include the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Work on the proposal came together quickly this week with President Joe Biden's national security team, led by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, working with allies to get the deal together, according to a U.S. official. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private deliberations, said the deal crystallized by late Wednesday afternoon during a conversation on the sidelines of the General Assembly between Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.
