Lebanon: How do we solve an apparently unsolvable problem?

Yesterday, Lebanon and Israel concluded another round of talks in Rome, agreeing on the implementation steps for “two pilot zones” in the occupied South Lebanon. There could be a virtual follow-up to those US-brokered talks on Friday (https://tinyurl.com/yc3kdbfj).

Do you happen to have an opinion about these talks, dear readers? And what do you think about their potential success, especially when the Hezbollah keeps stating that it “will not hand over the weapons” (https://tinyurl.com/ys22xmez)?

She does not know about you, but Bambi is convinced of the following: to solve problems, especially complex ones, it is necessary to keep the communication channels open. This solution-oriented approach applies to personal, professional, public, and even to war-related contexts.

For her, just having Lebanon and Israel coming together to listen to each other and to talk is a little miracle in itself. Even if the framework agreement between these two neighbouring countries is not perfect in all its clauses, the will to communicate seems to still be there. More significantly, there is a joint will to experiment to try to solve matters.

It takes much courage to talk to your “enemies” or “occupiers”; surely more than talking to your spouse or friends. It also takes courage to want to trust another neighbouring country, which is still far from being sovereign in its political decisions or on the ground.

To move forward, it is wiser to build bridges of communication than to dig destructive tunnels. We saw where decades of violence have led us. So for the sake of the innocent people in Lebanon and for those on the other side of the border, good luck to the Lebanese-Israeli talks. All the best also to the cause of peace in the longer term, despite the unnecessary collective grief and the significant challenges, both locally and regionally.