Washington and Tel Aviv’s Regional Plan: Implications for Lebanon.
Atwan, quoted by Rai Al-Youm, wrote: The integration of Lebanon into Syria is an American-Israeli plan that was founded by Thomas Barak, the US special envoy to Syria and Lebanon, and laid its first cornerstone in Doha, Qatar. The rapid normalization of relations with Lebanon is being consolidated as the first step towards the so-called “Abraham Peace” agreement.
Atwan continued: Barak is clearly passionate about this goal. He, who is of Lebanese origin, announced the plan to integrate Lebanon and Syria during a speech at the Doha conference, and this is not the first time he has spoken about this step; these words were not a slip of the tongue or an accidental one, but a strategic plan that was well designed by the US government headed by Donald Trump, a government that is fully committed to the theory of peace imposed by force.
The Arab analyst stated: The Zionist regime, and especially Benjamin Netanyahu (Israeli Prime Minister) and the Likud party, are trying to strengthen the so-called “Abraham Peace” agreement and pave the way for the realization of a “Greater Israel.” Barak and his chairman’s insistence on disarming Hezbollah and the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip is in this direction, meaning the integration of Lebanon into the new Syria. From their perspective, the weapons of resistance in Palestine, Lebanon, and Yemen are a major obstacle that must be eliminated through negotiations or force and airstrikes as soon as possible. He emphasized: Israel’s failure to adhere to the ceasefire and its more than 7,000 violations, the continued attacks on Lebanon and Hezbollah’s Shiite base in the south of the country, as well as Hermel, the Bekaa, and the southern suburbs of Beirut, and the threat of an all-out war against the country are all levers of pressure on the Lebanese authorities to surrender to the dictates of the United States and Israel. Israel takes and does not give. It signs agreements that it violates and occupies the lands. Why are five areas in southern Lebanon under occupation? Has Lebanon extracted oil and gas since the maritime border agreement? Has Israel not occupied most of southern Syria and is not seeking to occupy more areas in the country?
He continued: It is painful that the Lebanese ruling body is giving in to these pressures and the excuse given for a new and widespread Israeli attack on Lebanon. Its recent participation in the Ras al-Naqoura meeting and direct negotiations within the framework of the Ceasefire Monitoring Mechanism Committee are the first signs of this change in approach.