A New Relationship with Lebanon: Can Israel Hope for a More Peaceful Future?

Despite last week’s flutter of speculation that talks aimed at normalising the relationship between Israel and Lebanon were about to open, that prospect remains far-off. “Hezbollah’s vision, despite its defeat by Israel, has not changed,” says Dror Doron, a Lebanon and Iran expert who spent 15 years working for Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office. Doron, now an analyst with the New York-based advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), points to the massive turnout at Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral in Beirut this month. Nearly six months after his death, hundreds of thousands of Shiite Lebanese flooded the streets, chanting “Death to Israel”. The high-profile funeral, which reportedly cost $60 million, was attended by a senior Iranian official. “It was an impressive show of force, signalling that Hezbollah has not abandoned its aspirations to solidify its foothold in Lebanon,” Doron adds.