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While the agreement to end violence is welcome, it is a far cry from one that would bring peace and stability to the entire Middle East.
The focus is on whether this agreement can be used as an opportunity to further ease tensions with the countries involved and lead to the end of the war in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
Israel and Hezbollah, a Shiite group based in Lebanon, have accepted a ceasefire. The United States and France are said to have mediated the deal.
Israel will withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon in stages. Hezbollah will retreat to about 30 kilometers north of the border with Israel. The Lebanese military will deploy around the border area and remove Hezbollah’s heavy artillery. These steps will be completed within 60 days.
Israel bombed Beirut in September, killing the supreme leader of Hezbollah. As Israel has weakened Hezbollah’s military forces, it may have thought that the group’s threat has been eliminated for the present. Hezbollah apparently needed time to rebuild its position.
The fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began in October last year, triggered by cross-border attacks on Israel by the Islamist group Hamas in Gaza. Hezbollah, which has expressed solidarity with Hamas, attacked Israel with rockets and other weapons.
In response, Israel invaded southern Lebanon for the first time in 18 years and launched a ground operation. The death toll in Lebanon has exceeded 3,800 in over a year.
Although a ceasefire agreement has been realized, it does not mean that Israel and Hezbollah have grown less hostile toward one another.
To ensure that the ceasefire is steadily implemented, the United Nations should strengthen the position of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is conducting monitoring activities in Lebanon. The United States and France are urged to support UNIFIL.
There is no doubt that this agreement is an important step forward, but the war still continues in Gaza. Residents are finding it hard to obtain food, and there are concerns about the spread of famine in some areas.
Nevertheless, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not appear to have any intention of stopping the offensive. The domineering way in which Netanyahu has forced Gaza residents into such dire straits for so long is unacceptable.
Netanyahu has said that the aim of the ceasefire is for Israel to focus on threats from Iran.
The situation between Israel and Iran is touch-and-go, with both sides attacking each other’s territory with missiles, for example. Both countries must strongly exercise restraint.
It is regrettable that Japan has failed to demonstrate any diplomatic influence over the situation in the Middle East. The fact that the Cabinet is based on ruling parties that lack a majority is no excuse for doing nothing.
