Amos Hookstain, senior advisor to the U.S. President on energy and investment, revealed today that a phased agreement on land borders between Israel and Lebanon could alleviate the ongoing brutal conflict between the two countries. In an interview with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Hookstain stated, "I do not expect peace... lasting peace... between Hezbollah and Israel." He added, "However, if we can reach a set of understandings and eliminate some of the drivers of the conflict and establish recognized borders for the first time between the two countries, I believe that would go a long way."
Hookstain indicated that the initial step would involve allowing residents of northern communities in Israel to return to their homes and residents of southern communities in Lebanon to return to theirs. He noted that part of this would require strengthening the Lebanese armed forces, including recruitment, training, and equipping the troops, without specifying how this would be achieved.
The second phase would include an economic package for Lebanon "and ensuring that the international community demonstrates to the Lebanese people that we are investing in them." He explained that Lebanon's electricity grid, for example, operates for only a few hours a day, causing significant damage to its economy. He said, "We have a solution for that; we have put together a package that could create a solution that would provide them with electricity for 12 hours in a short timeframe."
He pointed out that the final phase would involve an agreement on land borders between Lebanon and Israel. He remarked that if Lebanon's political and economic situation stabilizes, it could help reduce Iran's influence there. He concluded that "the capacity of external powers to influence Lebanon, regardless of the consequences, will significantly diminish."
