Foreign Affairs Minister Joe Rajji in Rabat, on May 20, 2026. (Credit: Published on his X account)
Lebanese Foreign Minister Joe Rajji said Wednesday that Lebanon had taken the “courageous decision” to engage in direct negotiations with Israel in order to reach a “complete and lasting cease-fire” and secure “the full liberation of Lebanese territory.”
“Lebanon has taken the courageous decision to engage in direct negotiations with Israel with the aim of reaching a complete and lasting cease-fire and ensuring the liberation of all Lebanese territory,” Rajji said.
Speaking in Rabat during the second Ministerial Conference on Peacekeeping in the Francophone Space, Rajji said the talks, held under U.S. auspices, also aimed to “restore the full sovereignty of the state over all its territory” and to “build a country free of any foreign occupation and liberated from any illegitimate armed organization.”
The remarks come as direct negotiations are underway between Lebanon and Israel amid ongoing war in southern Lebanon and growing international pressure to stabilize the border. Israel also maintains a military presence in several border areas of southern Lebanon, where clashes with Hezbollah continue regularly.
The Lebanese foreign minister also said U.N. peacekeeping operations had become “more complex” for the international community, citing in particular “the near paralysis of the Security Council,” funding difficulties and “the challenges of war.” Paying tribute to international forces deployed in southern Lebanon on the eve of the end of their mission, he specifically honored soldiers “who fell in the line of duty” in the South.
Rajji also outlined three priorities for the future of peacekeeping operations: “supporting the strengthening of regional peacekeeping capacities through concrete and effective means; advocating for realistic mandates designed around what deployed forces can actually accomplish, rather than maximalist objectives appealing on paper but lacking real feasibility; and investing heavily in conflict prevention.”
“Conflict prevention is the best way to avoid arriving too late, like someone who arrives after the catastrophe,” he said.
“Peace is not a natural state. It is built, defended and invented. And that is the collective duty incumbent upon all of us,” the minister concluded.
The mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon was extended until Dec. 31, 2026, with a gradual withdrawal expected through the end of 2027, opening debate over the “post-UNIFIL” phase and what mechanism will replace it in southern Lebanon.
