The President of the United States Joe Biden and the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron announced through a press release the establishment of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
“President of the United States Joseph R. Biden and President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron announced today thatIsrael and Lebanon have agreed to a ceasefire between their two countries. (…) It will create the conditions necessary for the lasting restoration of calm and allow the safe return of residents on both sides of the Blue Line to their homes. (…) »they announced in a press release on the night of Tuesday November 26 to Wednesday November 27, 2024.
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The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has been in effect since Wednesday, November 27 at 3 a.m. (Paris time). The duration of this first step towards “peace” is set for an indeterminate and uncertain period. After more than a year of hostilities at the borders and two months of war on Lebanese territory, this ceasefire decision was welcomed by a Hamas official who said he was “ready” to negotiate in turn. with Israel anonymously to AFP: “ Hamas ready for ceasefire deal and a serious agreement to exchange prisoners ». For his part, Benjamin NetanyahuIsraeli Prime Minister was less cheerful. He assures that “If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack”.
A first step towards peace?
A ceasefire does not mean “the end of hostilities” specifies the NGO Doctors Without Borders on its website. In reality, a ceasefire does not legally end a war. This act allowsbreak up the fights between two parties during a conflict. With the participation of another country which must not take sides, the two opponents undertake not to attack each other during the ceasefire. This can have an unlimited duration or, on the contrary, a precise one. The “neutral” country asks the two countries in conflict to negotiate with the exchange of prisoners or the withdrawal of armed troops.
During the ceasefire, certain areas previously inaccessible due to conflicts become accessible to journalists as well as humanitarian aid. Even if, a ceasefire does not mean the war is overit provides a break for the populations present on site. In a way, this can be seen as a first step towards peace.
The opposite effect?
However, a ceasefire can cause the opposite effect and prolong a war. During this “pause” in conflicts, armies can take advantage of this to rearm and reorganize. In order to reattack by being stronger than before. The enemy attacks by surprise and “violates the ceasefire” in this case. However, the ceasefire is not intended to allow this. On the contrary, he “allows fighting to be interrupted, permanently or not”specifies Coline Beytout, legal advisor in international humanitarian law to our colleagues at BFMTV.
The difference between a ceasefire and a truce?
A ceasefire is not necessarily the same as a humanitarian truce. Truce allows NGOs access to war zone for a limited period of time to help people in need. A way to protect humanitarian workers without them being victims of any attack. For this reason, a ceasefire or truce does not represent an act of peace. Even so, the ceasefire is intended to lead the conflict towards disarmament.
Which is not necessarily the main objective of a truce, as explained by François Audet, director of the Canadian Observatory on Crises and Humanitarian Action (OCCAM) and full professor at the School of Humanitarian Sciences. management (ESG) from the University of Quebec in Montreal for the Journal de Montréal: “The ceasefire will lead us towards disarmament, while the truce is more like ‘we stop shooting at each other for a moment, for X reason, and as soon as this reason is over, we resume hostilities’“ .
