Ahead of direct talks, Sa’ar says Israel and Lebanon have ‘no serious disagreements’

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says Israel has no “serious disagreements” with Lebanon, ahead of the next round of talks between Beirut and Jerusalem slated to be held tomorrow in Washington.

“We made a historic decision to negotiate directly with Lebanon after more than 40 years,” says Sa’ar at an Independence Day reception for the foreign diplomatic corps in Jerusalem.

“Unfortunately, Lebanon is a failed state. A state that is de facto under Iranian occupation through Hezbollah. But this also leads to a conclusion: Hezbollah is a common enemy of Israel and Lebanon,” says Sa’ar. “Just as it threatens Israel’s security, it harms Lebanon’s sovereignty and threatens its future.”

Sa’ar says that Israel doesn’t “have any serious disagreements with Lebanon. There are a few minor border disputes, which can be solved. The obstacle to peace and normalization between the countries is one: Hezbollah.”

Ahead of tomorrow’s direct talks, Sa’ar calls on the government of Lebanon to “work together against the terror state that Hezbollah built in your territory. This cooperation is needed by you even more than by us. It requires moral clarity and the courage to take risks. But there is no real alternative for ensuring a future of peace for you and for us. And for you, for Lebanon — a future of sovereignty, independence and freedom from the Iranian occupation.”