Bishop Zaidan: Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire sparks 'profound hope,' inspiration for lasting peace

(OSV News) -- A ceasefire brokered by the U.S. and France between Israel and the Lebanese-based militant group Hezbollah is being welcomed with "profound hope," said Bishop A. Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace.

The ceasefire -- which essentially recaps the 2006 U.N Resolution 1701 that ended the previous conflict between Israel and Hezbollah -- was announced by the White House Nov. 26. President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House Rose Garden that Israel and Lebanon's governments had accepted the proposal, which was developed in partnership with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, which took effect at 4 a.m. local time Nov. 27, "the fighting across the Lebanese-Israeli border will end" in what "is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities," said Biden.

Over the next 60 days, Lebanon's army and state security forces will retake control of southern Lebanon from the so-called "Blue Line" (the unofficial Israel-Lebanon border) up to the Litani River -- ensuring Hezbollah infrastructure is not rebuilt -- as Israel gradually withdraws its forces. Civilians on both sides of the border will be allowed "to return safely to their communities" and begin rebuilding, the president said.

He stressed that "if Hezbollah or anyone else breaks the deal and poses a direct threat to Israel, then Israel retains the right to self-defense consistent with international law, just like any country when facing a terrorist group pledged to that country’s destruction."

The ceasefire aims to address one front of the Israel-Hamas war, which was launched in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, when militants from the Gaza Strip gunned down more than 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took over 240 civilians and soldiers hostage. In September, the conflict extended into Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Shia militia Hezbollah is based.

The U.S. and France will monitor the ceasefire, which does not apply to Israel's war with Hamas.

"It is in a spirit of profound hope that I welcome news that, after more than a year of fighting and thousands of deaths, a ceasefire has been agreed upon by Israel and Hezbollah, beginning today, Wednesday, November 27," Bishop Zaidan said in a Nov. 27 statement.

He added that he was "grateful for the crucial, peacebuilding role that the United States has played in this development in Lebanon and Israel."

At the same time, Bishops Zaidan stressed that much work remains to be done in establishing a lasting peace throughout the region.

"As we rejoice in this opportunity for peace to take root, I urge all parties, as well as the broader international community, to remain vigilant and to continue working toward the consolidation of peace in the region through the disarmament of Hezbollah and the full implementation of the UN resolutions concerning Lebanon," he said. "This will lead to Lebanon regaining its full sovereignty and independence."

Amid the war, almost 90% of the people "in Lebanon's south have fled north, said Catholic Near East Welfare Agency-Pontifical Mission regional director Michel Constantin, who oversees efforts in Lebanon and Syria, during a live media briefing hosted by CNEWA earlier in November.

That displacement has compounded long-running socioeconomic difficulties for that nation, which has also been home to an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees fleeing their nation's repression and political instability.

"I pray that this ceasefire proves to be a beacon of real hope, and that it inspires greater ambitions for a lasting peace in the Middle East on all fronts, especially in the dire situation in Gaza," said Bishop Zaidan. "I join in solidarity with Pope Francis, who, in October, called for a ceasefire, saying: 'Let us pursue the paths of diplomacy and dialogue to achieve peace.'"