The U.S., European Union, and major powers in the Middle East including Saudi Arabia and Qatar have proposed a three-week cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon as part of a bid to clear the way for negotiations and avert all-out war in the region.

“It is time to conclude a diplomatic settlement that enables civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes in safety,” the nations said in a statement released Wednesday evening that called on the governments of Israel and Lebanon to immediately implement the pause in fighting.

If they do so, the countries said, they are “prepared to fully support all diplomatic efforts to conclude an agreement between Lebanon and Israel within this period, building on efforts over the last months, that ends this crisis altogether.”

People familiar with the matter said earlier that the Biden administration and its allies were working with Israeli officials with the intention of forging a political settlement between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia.

The effort’s goal is to prevent a major war from breaking out, create the conditions for tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to return to their country’s north and help revive efforts for a cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations.

U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement that their effort was intended “to give diplomacy a chance to succeed and avoid further escalations across the border.” Other signatories included Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, and Australia.

“The exchange of fire since Oct. 7th, and in particular over the past two weeks, threatens a much broader conflict, and harm to civilians,” the pair said.

The talks involving Washington, Israel and other allies are unfolding as Israel pounds Hezbollah targets across Lebanon with air strikes and as fears grow across the region and in Western capitals that a long-feared regional expansion of the Israel-Hamas conflict was about to unfold.

More than 600 people, including at least 50 children, have been killed since Israel began bombarding southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley on Monday, Lebanese government officials said. It’s the worst violence in the region since the 2006 Lebanon war.

And it may not stop there. Israeli military officials have warned of a possible ground invasion into Lebanon, a development that could compel Iran to attack Israel.

“We are grateful for all of those who are making a sincere effort with diplomacy to avoid escalation, to avoid a full war,” Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon said before Barrot announced the 21-day plan. “We are open to ideas.”

Earlier Wednesday, Biden framed the cease-fire proposal as part of a diplomatic process that could help unlock an end to the nearly year-old Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip — a deal his administration has doggedly pursued but failed to accomplish for months.

“I don’t want to exaggerate it, but a possibility, if we can deal with a cease-fire in Lebanon, that it can move into dealing with the West Bank, and also in Gaza — and so, it’s possible,” Biden said in an interview with ABC’s “The View.”

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to use his country’s influence over Hezbollah to pull Lebanon back from the brink, said a person familiar with the meeting who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to arrive in New York on Thursday for the annual gathering of the U.N. General Assembly. Netanyahu and top adviser Ron Dermer are involved in an attempt to come to a diplomatic solution to the spiraling military confrontation with Hezbollah, designated a terrorist group by the U.S., according to an Israeli official who declined to be named.

Even if a temporary truce is reached, officials are skeptical about how long-lasting such a deal could be and whether it would amount to the longer-term political settlement that U.S. officials have urged, according to one senior diplomat with direct knowledge of the talks.

Still, a temporary cease-fire is seen as the best way to lower tensions before things get out of control, the diplomat added. Many allies are losing hope in President Biden’s unrealized efforts to achieve a cease-fire deal for Gaza, this person added.

_____

(With assistance from Alex Morales, Dan Williams, Skylar Woodhouse, Marissa Newman, Donato Paolo Mancini and María Paula Mijares Torres.)

_____

The U.S. and France will propose a three-week cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon as part of a bid to clear the way for negotiations and avert all-out war in the Middle East.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said details of the proposal would be announced soon and he planned to travel to Beirut by the end of the week. He announced the plan at a United Nations Security Council meeting where diplomats gathered to discuss the conflict.

“We are counting on both parties to accept it without delay in order to protect civilian populations and allow for diplomatic negotiations to begin,” said Barrot, whose country maintains open lines of communication with Hezbollah.

People familiar with the matter said earlier that the Biden administration and its allies were working with Israeli officials with the intention of forging a political settlement between Israel and the Iran-backed group.

The effort’s goal is to prevent a major war from breaking out, create the conditions for tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to return to their country’s north and help revive efforts for a cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations.

The talks involving Washington, Israel and other allies are unfolding as Israel pounds Hezbollah targets across Lebanon with air strikes and as fears grow across the region and in Western capitals that a long-feared regional expansion of the Israel-Hamas conflict was about to unfold.

More than 600 people, including at least 50 children, have been killed since Israel began bombarding southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley on Monday, Lebanese government officials said. It’s the worst violence in the region since the 2006 Lebanon war.

And it may not stop there. Israeli military officials have warned of a possible ground invasion into Lebanon, a development that could compel Iran to attack Israel.

“We are grateful for all of those who are making a sincere effort with diplomacy to avoid escalation, to avoid a full war,” Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon said before Barrot announced the 21-day plan. “We are open to ideas.”

Earlier Wednesday, President Joe Biden framed the cease-fire proposal as part of a diplomatic process that could help unlock an end to the nearly year-old Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip — a deal his administration has doggedly pursued but failed to accomplish for months.

“I don’t want to exaggerate it, but a possibility, if we can deal with a cease-fire in Lebanon, that it can move into dealing with the West Bank, and also in Gaza — and so, it’s possible,” Biden said in an interview with ABC’s “The View.”

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to use his country’s influence over Hezbollah to pull Lebanon back from the brink, said a person familiar with the meeting who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to arrive in New York on Thursday for the annual gathering of the U.N. General Assembly. Netanyahu and top adviser Ron Dermer are involved in an attempt to come to a diplomatic solution to the spiraling military confrontation with Hezbollah, designated a terrorist group by the U.S., according to an Israeli official who declined to be named.

Even if a temporary truce is reached, officials are skeptical about how long-lasting such a deal could be and whether it would amount to the longer-term political settlement that US officials have urged, according to one senior diplomat with direct knowledge of the talks.

Still, a temporary cease-fire is seen as the best way to lower tensions before things get out of control, the diplomat added. Many allies are losing hope in President Biden’s unrealized efforts to achieve a cease-fire deal for Gaza, this person added.

_____

(With assistance from Donato Paolo Mancini, María Paula Mijares Torres, Alex Morales, Dan Williams, Skylar Woodhouse and Marissa Newman.)

©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.