Israel keeps saying the Lebanese Army needs to disarm Hezbollah. But the Lebanese Army is a mix of Christians, Druse, Sunnis and Shiites. Given Hezbollah’s political grip on the Lebanese Shiite community — even with the anger many Lebanese Shiites feel toward Hezbollah today for provoking Israel on behalf of Iran — if the Lebanese Army went into open warfare across south Lebanon and in Beirut against Hezbollah, it could splinter and plunge Lebanon back into civil war. The only alternative Netanyahu has offered is driving tens of thousands of Lebanese out of south Lebanon or Shiite areas of Beirut.
It is time for a third way. I am happy to call it the Trump Plan to Save Lebanon. Push Israel to pull entirely out of south Lebanon and have heavily armed NATO troops help take over the area in partnership with, and under the symbolic authority of, the Lebanese Army.
Israel can trust NATO. Hezbollah and Iran will not dare take them on — or if they do, they will be smashed, and a vast majority of Lebanese, including Shiites, will applaud, because Israel will be entirely out of Lebanon and Hezbollah will lose its justification for attacking Israel.
Sure, it may not be a perfect solution, but it is better than Israel invading Lebanon over and over, let alone a Lebanese civil war. It’s worth a try.
Lebanon has the most decent, pluralistic-minded president, Joseph Aoun, and prime minister, Nawaf Salam, since the 1975-90 civil war. I believe they are prepared to make peace with Israel, but not at the cost of another civil war.
It’s time for a third way that secures Lebanon, secures Israel and exposes Hezbollah for what it has become — a cat’s paw of Iran, ready to fight to the last Lebanese and last Israeli to serve its masters in Tehran. It’s time for the Trump Plan to Save Lebanon.
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