A Few Thoughts on the Lebanon Ceasefire Deal

This is a good thing

From the White House this afternoon, President Biden announced a ceasefire deal in Lebanon, which will go into effect at 4 a.m. local time. Under the terms of the deal, Israel will eventually withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon and cease its bombardment of the country. Hezbollah, in turn, will withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon and halt its rocket attacks into Israel proper.

This ceasefire is undoubtedly a positive development.

Less fighting is always better than more fighting. This ceasefire can provide immediate relief to the 1.2 million Lebanese and tens of thousands of Israelis who have been displaced over the last year, including nearly 800,000 Lebanese displaced in the last two months as fighting sharply escalated. Above all, it is important to remember that this ceasefire will directly and immediately improve the lives of millions of people.

In the longer term, this ceasefire offers a chance to de-escalate after over a year of continuous tensions: between Israel and …