In talks at Berri’s residence, Joumblatt discusses a return to the armistice agreement with Israel 'with certain developments'

BEIRUT — During a meeting at Ain al-Tineh with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Druze leader Walid Joumblatt proposed Tuesday "a return to the armistice agreement with certain developments" signed in 1949 by Lebanon and Israel, as a basis to strengthen the temporary cease-fire in effect. This statement comes as the 10-day truce that took effect Friday is to be followed by new direct talks between the two countries, scheduled Thursday in Washington.

In front of the leader of the legislature and head of the Shiite Amal movement, an ally of Hezbollah, Joumblatt called for "finding appropriate means" to stabilize the truce, considering that negotiations should be based on a clear agenda focused on Israeli withdrawal and land recovery. "We must find the appropriate means to strengthen the cease-fire. One way to strengthen it is to negotiate on a clear agenda, based on withdrawal and the recovery of the lands. For Mr. Berri and myself, the maximum Lebanon can offer is a return to the armistice agreement with certain developments. Therefore, we need a new formula."

The 1949 armistice agreement is a cease-fire negotiated under United Nations auspices between Lebanon and Israel after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Signed on March 23, 1949, it established a demarcation line between the two countries, ended hostilities, and laid the groundwork for maintaining peace through the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO).

"I insist on maintaining UNIFIL in the South, because the decision to withdraw UNIFIL forces is a mistake, and I call for these forces to be preserved without being attacked," Joumblatt added. UNIFIL, which is set to start a progressive withdrawal from southern Lebanon by mid-2027 ahead of the expiration of its mandate at the end of the year, is made up of about 8,200 peacekeepers from 47 countries. It is currently caught between Israel and Hezbollah. On Saturday, a French UNIFIL soldier was killed and three others wounded in southern Lebanon in an ambush blamed on Hezbollah by France.