Lebanon’s foreign minister called on the US to put pressure on Israel to end the bloody war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, now entering its fifth month.
Speaking to CNBC on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Abdallah Bou Habib stressed that creating a path to peace is crucial and that Washington has the ability to lead the way.
“We want peace, I think the Palestinians are ready for peace and the Americans should – [they are] “The only country that can truly enable peace,” Bou Habib told CNBC’s Silvia Amaro. “But they should put some pressure on Israel, like what happened in the 70s. Kissinger was there and he put pressure on Israel to bring about peace.”
The minister was referring to former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s historic diplomatic push in 1973, during the so-called Yom Kippur War between Israel and a coalition of Arab states. After six whirlwind trips to the region, Kissinger managed to pressure Israel to withdraw from some of the Arab territories it occupied, both as a means of military withdrawal and as part of Israeli security.
Bou Habib said he supports the positions of some European countries that have stopped supplying weapons to Israel and that he believes the United States should also stop arming the country.
According to the Congressional Research Service, Washington remains Israel’s top foreign supporter, sending it around $4 billion in military aid annually, accounting for about 16% of Israel’s defense budget. According to the U.S. Agency for International Development, Washington has provided Israel with $318 billion in military and economic aid, adjusted for inflation, since 1951.
Recent draft legislation in the US Congress provides for tens of billions in military aid since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7th, in which around 1,200 people were killed. According to Hamas-run local health authorities, Israel’s subsequent offensive against the Gaza Strip and its relentless bombings in the blockaded territory have killed more than 28,000 people.
If the US cannot play a prominent role in ending hostilities, “the war will continue,” Bou Habib said. “It is the United States that has the ability to truly force peace in the region.”
Source link
2024-02-16 14:43:15
www.cnbc.com
