US diplomatic drive shapes path toward Lebanon Israel negotiations

Logo
Sites
Lebanon 11-04-2026 | 16:08

US diplomatic drive shapes path toward Lebanon Israel negotiations

With Washington steering the process, preparations intensify for direct talks amid broader regional objectives and shifting alliances 
Majd Bou Mjahed
Save Icon
US diplomatic drive shapes path toward Lebanon Israel negotiations
Destruction in the southern suburbs of Beirut. (Nabil Ismail)
Smaller Bigger
 

The decision to begin direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel did not come out of nowhere. Rather, it is the result of deliberate American political groundwork and preparations led by the United States ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, who has worked intensively to bring about negotiations between the two countries. According to information obtained by Annahar, Issa has used both his diplomatic powers and the authority granted to him by US President Donald Trump in managing various files in order to revive the spirit of direct political negotiation between Lebanon and Israel.

 

At the level of influential figures in the Lebanese American lobby in the United States, it is known that Issa is a fully integrated actor and a connecting link in sponsoring negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. He has been in contact with the US State Department, the Israeli government, the Lebanese state, and the Lebanese ambassador in Washington, Nada Hamade, with whom he has a personal acquaintance. This could strengthen the momentum of the expected negotiations, which are set to begin on Tuesday, 14 April 2026, between Ambassador Hamade and the Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yehiel Leiter, following a preliminary communication between the concerned parties to prepare for the talks.

 

As Issa fully implements Trump’s policy with precision, within a clear and explicit objective pursued by the US administration to expand the Abraham Accords, especially after weakening the Iranian regime and the American insistence on separating the Hezbollah file from any negotiations with Iran, which is trying to hold on to that leverage, it appears that the United States will oversee the Lebanese Israeli negotiations through its State Department and its ambassador in Lebanon, in support of any dialogue and agreement between the two sides. Among the issues expected to be discussed are the disarmament of what remains of Hezbollah’s weapons, the conclusion of a security agreement between the two countries, the demarcation of land borders, and the achievement of peace. The Israeli government is primarily concerned with ensuring the security of its northern settlements.

 

Where do the forces within the Lebanese American lobby in the United States position themselves, and what are the impressions on the eve of direct negotiations with the participation of the American administration?

 

Those who communicate within the Lebanese American lobby with the current United States administration have long formed an advisory and consultative channel with individuals close to Trump regarding developments in Lebanon. They have also urged the achievement of a peace agreement between Lebanon and Israel, which makes them among the strongest supporters of accompanying the United States administration in direct Lebanon Israel negotiations within influential lobby groups. However, there are other forces within the lobby that are not close to the administration of the United States president and that oppose its approach. Still, the capacity for influence at present remains with those forces that have long worked toward direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.

 

Tags
Israel ، Lebanon ، peace negotiations ، Hezbollah