Democratic Majority for Israel President & CEO Brian Romick today released the following statement:
“Today’s announcement of a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon — brokered by the U.S. and agreed to by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Lebanese President Aoun — is a welcome and hopeful development, one that builds on Tuesday’s historic direct talks in Washington, the first between the two countries since 1993.
“We commend the diplomatic effort that brought these parties to the table, and we hope this ceasefire becomes the foundation for something lasting: a comprehensive peace agreement that delivers security, stability, and prosperity to both nations.
“But hope must be paired with clarity. Any durable agreement must end with Hezbollah dismantled as a military threat. This is not simply Israel’s demand — it is the Lebanese people’s as well. As Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said this week, Israel and Lebanon are ‘on the same side of the equation.’ For decades, Lebanon has lived under Hezbollah’s Iran-backed occupation, and Israel’s north has endured relentless missile barrages and cross-border terror. Both peoples are victims of the same threat. Both deserve to be free of it.
“Unfortunately, there is a collective amnesia about Hezbollah’s role in this conflict. Since the day after October 7, Hezbollah has displaced tens of thousands of civilians in northern Israel and killed Israelis of all faiths. As a share of Israel’s population, this would equate to 2-3 million Americans being driven out of every community along the entire New Jersey–New York border. For more than two and a half years.
“No government could accept that — and any honest assessment of the current situation should begin with that reality.
“We are encouraged that the State Department’s ceasefire framework explicitly requires Lebanon to take meaningful steps to prevent Hezbollah from carrying out attacks against Israel.
“DMFI urges both governments, with the continued support of the United States, to use this window with urgency and purpose. The people of Israel and the people of Lebanon both deserve peace. The path to that peace runs through ending Hezbollah’s grip on the region — once and for all.”