Lebanese Divide: The Shift from Taboo to Open Debate on Relations with Israel

The recent photograph of Lebanese businessman and banker Antoine Sehnaoui with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a dinner in Washington has highlighted the profound structural divide within Lebanese society—a divide that reveals differing views on Lebanon's identity and its regional role.

This discord has moved beyond traditional rhetoric and slogans, deepening over the past two years amid political and security shifts in Lebanon and the region.

Since the start of the large-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah in the fall of 2024, and the subsequent changes in power dynamics leading to US-facilitated direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, marked by the 'Framework Agreement,' discussions about relations with Israel have gradually shifted from a taboo subject to a topic of open political discourse.

Each new development widens the gap between those advocating for Lebanon to realign with evolving regional and international dynamics, potentially leading to peace with Israel in a comprehensive agreement, and those who view such changes as a betrayal of core conflict principles.

Public Sentiment
Political stances reveal public sentiment, with Lebanese parties reflecting the divided opinions of the Lebanese populace.

On one side, the “Shiite duo” of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement rejects any talk of peace or normalization, viewing the conflict with Israel as existential and beyond political compromise.

In contrast, many Christian parties seem more open to aligning with the Lebanese government's stance. The Lebanese Forces emphasize the need for lasting stability on Lebanon's southern border, though they argue that peace with Israel is premature without first resolving the Palestinian issue.

Kataeb Party leader Sami Gemayel has highlighted Lebanon’s need to seek stability, questioning why Lebanon should continually pay the price for the Palestinian cause, and advocating for peace with Israel to rebuild and give hope to the youth.

The Free Patriotic Movement maintains a cautious stance, withholding outright rejection of peace but contingent upon political and sovereign guarantees.

Sunni Positions
Sunni groups align with the broader Arab position, suggesting any Lebanese steps should be in line with Arab consensus.

Conversely, the Progressive Socialist Party and its former leader Walid Jumblatt support a ceasefire and maintaining the current status, opposed to peace or normalization with Israel, citing historical and political barriers.

Two Core Views
This division underscores the lack of a unified national policy on one of Lebanon's most sensitive issues, with each faction interpreting it through its political lens and regional identity.

Mona Fayad, a psychology professor at the Lebanese University, observes two main perspectives: one seeing Lebanon as part of a Western Mediterranean system, where opening to Israel is natural amid regional changes, and another viewing any Israeli ties as treasonous, impacting not just politics but their collective identity.

Fayad tells Asharq Al-Awsat that past conflicts still evoke unhealed wounds, with Lebanese split between wanting to move past old grievances and those who see retaining this memory as essential for their collective awareness. The first group argues that amid widespread collapse, Lebanon cannot afford to reject any path out of crisis, suggesting that integration into the international system could involve engagement with Israel. The second group, however, asserts that the issue is existential and moral, viewing Israel as intrinsically linked to violence, and thus not a standard political option.

Peace or Capitulation
Fayad notes that peace itself is a contested idea, seen by some as a sovereign, equal choice when mutually desired, and by others as a form of capitulation. She mentions a third group willing to abide by whatever sovereign decision Lebanon takes.

Fayad concludes that instead of a unified national stance, the scene reflects individual and conflicting choices, laying bare the deep divisions within Lebanese society.