In the complex aftermath of war, an unlikely path to peace has emerged for Israel on its northern border. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that the very conflict with Hezbollah that brought so much destruction has also, paradoxically, cleared the way for diplomatic engagement with Syria and Lebanon.
This unlikely path leads first to Damascus. The fall of the Assad regime, a political aftershock of the regional instability, has created a new leadership willing to walk a different road. A Syrian official has confirmed they are now on a path of direct negotiation with Israel, aiming for a security agreement by year’s end.
The path in Lebanon is still being paved. Israel continues to clear the “boulder” of Hezbollah through military strikes, allowing the Lebanese state to begin building its own road to sovereignty. The government’s decision to disarm the militia is the first layer of asphalt on this new path.
Netanyahu acted as a guide to this unexpected route. “The possibility of peace… was not even imagined before our recent operations,” he told his cabinet, marveling at the strange turns of history. He confirmed that the first steps on the Syrian path have shown “some progress.”
While the destination of a comprehensive northern peace is still far off, the existence of this path is a major development. The negotiation of a demilitarized zone with Syria and the planned disarmament in Lebanon are the first milestones on this unlikely journey from war to peace.