UN envoy to Lebanon says 21-day truce between Israel, Hezbollah ‘still on the table’

A call by the US and France for a 21-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah “is still on the table,” says the top UN official in Lebanon, as she pushes for a way to enforce a much-violated UN Security Council resolution.

“We need a realistic roadmap for the implementation, by both sides, of resolution 1701. And this must include clear implementation and enforcement mechanisms,” says UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.

“At the end of the day, it is the lack or non-implementation of resolution 1701 over the past 18 years that led to today’s harsh reality,” she tells reporters.

“The joint call for a 21-day ceasefire, as launched by the US or led by the US and France, I think is still on the table and very relevant, so we should not dismiss it. I don’t think that new initiatives will add to it,” Hennis-Plasschaert adds. “The many appeals and calls for a ceasefire are crystal clear. We need a window for diplomatic efforts to succeed.”

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon says Israel believes in the language of resolution 1701, but that “we should think about how to enforce it.”

“We have no desire to stay in Lebanon, and I think the only troops that can do that will be the Lebanese military and UNIFIL, but they need to have the strength, the power and the ability to ensure that Hezbollah is not coming back to the same places,” Danon tells reporters, referring to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon peacekeeping mission.