Macron pledges $108 million at Lebanon aid confab, slams Israel for ‘sowing barbarism’
PARIS — France pledged to provide a 100-million euro ($108-million)
package to support Lebanon at an international conference Thursday, as
President Emmanuel Macron said “massive aid” is needed to support the
country where war between the Hezbollah terror group and Israel has
displaced a million people and deepened an economic crisis.
“In the immediate term, massive aid is needed for the Lebanese
population, both for the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by
the war and for the communities hosting them,” Macron said in his
opening speech at the conference.
French organizers hope participants’ financial pledges of
humanitarian aid will meet the $426 million the United Nations says is
urgently needed.
Italy this week announced new aid of 10 million euros ($10.8 million)
and Germany on Wednesday pledged an additional 60 million euros ($64.7
million) for people in Lebanon.
Macron condemned Israel for continuing its military operations in
Lebanon against Hezbollah, “in the south, in Beirut, elsewhere, and that
the number of civilian victims continues to rise,” and reiterated his
call for a ceasefire.
Hezbollah must “stop its provocations… and indiscriminate strikes” against Israel, Macron said.
But Israel “knows from experience that its military successes do not necessarily represent victory in Lebanon,” Macron said.
“I’m not sure that you can defend a civilization by sowing barbarism yourself,” he added.
Paris also seeks to help restore Lebanon’s sovereignty and strengthen its institutions.
The country, where Hezbollah effectively operates as a state within a
state, has been without a president for two years while political
factions fail to agree on a new one.
However, hopes for diplomatic progress in Paris may be stymied by the
absence of Iran and Israel, who were not among the 70 countries and 15
international organizations invited, while the US was represented only
by a deputy to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The international conference comes as critics say Macron’s diplomatic
approach in the Middle East has been blurred by his apparent evolving
approach and sometimes chaotic communication.
Still, France’s historic links with Lebanon, a former colony, and its
influential diplomacy give Paris momentum to coordinate “a proper
response to the massive challenge that the war in Lebanon now poses,”
said Middle East expert Rym Montaz, editor in chief of Carnegie Europe’s
blog Strategic Europe.
The French “are trying to make sure that international donors get to
hear firsthand from the actors on the ground in Lebanon who can best
describe the most immediate needs caused by the Israeli aggression that
has forcibly displaced 20% of the Lebanese population over the course of
two weeks,” she said.
In recent weeks, Macron appeared to toughen his stance against Israel
while repeatedly calling for a ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza,
condemning the “unbearable human toll.” He reiterated his call on Monday
while speaking by phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his
office said.
There have been recent tensions between the French and Israeli
leaders, especially after Macron called for a halt to arms exports for
use in Gaza.
Macron has also strongly condemned what he says is the “deliberate”
targeting by Israel of UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, which Israel
has denied.
Thursday’s conference involves ministers and officials from over 70
countries and international organizations, including the European Union
and regional partners, Macron’s office said.
France also aims at coordinating international support to strengthen
Lebanon’s armed forces so they can “deploy more broadly and efficiently”
in the country’s south as part of a potential deal to end the war. Such
a deal could see Hezbollah withdraw its forces from the border.
International support may include equipment, training and financial
aid to hire troops and ensure the army’s daily needs, Macron’s office
said.
Lebanon’s army has been hit hard by five years of economic crisis. It has an aging arsenal and no air defenses.
The Lebanese army has about 80,000 troops, around 5,000 of them
deployed in the south. Hezbollah has more than 100,000 fighters,
according to the terror group’s late leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Hezbollah’s arsenal — built with support from Iran — is more advanced.
The Lebanese army’s deployment is a key part of UN Security Council
resolution 1701 that ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel,
and requires that the Lebanese Armed Forces be the only force with arms
in southern Lebanon.
The resolution has gone largely unenforced since it was passed in
2006, allowing Hezbollah to build up a formidable arms cache and
defensive capabilities, with neither UNIFIL peacekeepers nor the LAF
willing to challenge the Iran-backed terror group.
