JPost: Israel bars France from role in upcoming talks with Lebanon

Israel has refused to allow France to take part in upcoming direct talks between Israel and Lebanon, scheduled to begin next week in Washington, two sources told The Jerusalem Post on April 10.

An Israeli official said that “France’s conduct over the past year - including initiatives aimed at limiting Israel’s ability to fight in Iran, and a complete lack of willingness to take concrete steps to help Lebanon disarm Hezbollah - has led Israel to view France as an unfair mediator.”

The move comes amid heightened Israeli frustration with France’s actions in recent months, particularly following the joint Israeli–US strike on Iran. France declined to allow U.S. aircraft transporting weapons to Israel to use its airspace. Additionally, after Hezbollah began firing the day after the strike on Iran, French President Emmanuel Macron and other senior French officials pressed Israel to avoid launching a ground operation in Lebanon.

Lebanon has recently sought direct negotiations with Israel in an effort to prevent a broader military confrontation. Those overtures were communicated through both officials in the Trump administration and the French government.

However, according to officials, the U.S. told Lebanon, “First take serious steps to disarm Hezbollah, and then we will speak with Israel.” 

The talks, set to begin April 14 at the U.S. State Department, will be represented by Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanon’s ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh. The U.S. mediator will be Michel Issa, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon.

By Sabina Mammadli