Opposition, northern mayors decry imposed ceasefires as Lebanon truce declared

Residents of northern Israel reacted with anger and dismay on Thursday following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of an Israeli ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, while opposition lawmakers berated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for capitulating to the Americans and allowing a truce to be imposed on Israel. Ministers in Netanyahu’s cabinet also fumed during a hastily convened phone call with cabinet members to discuss the matter, claiming they heard about the ceasefire for the first time from Trump’s announcement, and questioned how it was declared without their approval, Hebrew media reported.

Trump announced earlier that the 10-day ceasefire would go into effect at midnight on Thursday, and said he would be inviting Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to the White House for negotiations. Municipal leaders in northern Israel, which has faced ongoing stream of Hezbollah missiles and rockets since it started firing at Israel on March 2 as part of the Iran war, expressed outrage and betrayal over the announcement. Moshe Davidovich, who serves as the head of the “Forum of Front-Line Communities, charged that agreements are “signed in Washington” but “paid in blood, in destroyed homes and in dismantled communities here.”

“A ceasefire that does not include lethal enforcement against Hezbollah for every violation and a buffer zone free of terror up to the Litani River is not a political achievement; it is a sentence to wait for the next massacre. The residents of the north are not statistics in an international public relations show,” he said in a statement.Metula Mayor David Azoulay, a member of the Yisrael Beytenu party, said residents of the north “feel betrayed once again” by the deal.

“The fact that it is the president of the United States who is the one announcing a ceasefire only highlights how disconnected the prime minister of Israel is from the people, and from the reality of the residents of the north,” said Azoulay. In a direct appeal toMetula Mayor David Azoulay, a member of the Yisrael Beytenu party, said residents of the north “feel betrayed once again” by the deal.

“The fact that it is the president of the United States who is the one announcing a ceasefire only highlights how disconnected the prime minister of Israel is from the people, and from the reality of the residents of the north,” said Azoulay. In a direct appeal to Netanyahu, he said: “Your basic duty as prime minister of Israel is to provide security to the citizens of the state. In practice, you fail at this time after time.”, he said: “Your basic duty as prime minister of Israel is to provide security to the citizens of the state. In practice, you fail at this time after time.” (Ed note: Perhaps PM Netanyahu agreed to the ceasefire to show that Hezbollah can't be trusted and that the Lebanese government has no real power over them. One thing is sure, the IDF troops in the field will get some much needed rest.) (Read More)