Israel defense minister vows no let-up in war on Hezbollah

TEL AVIV

Israel's new defense minister has told senior military commanders there would be no easing-up in the war against Hezbollah as he toured the northern border with Lebanon.

"We will make no ceasefires, we will not take our foot off the pedal, and we will not allow any arrangement that does not include the achievement of our war objectives," Israel Katz said on his first visit to the border region since his appointment.

"We will continue to strike Hezbollah everywhere," Katz added.

He told army chief Herzi Halevi: "We have struck Hezbollah with heavy blows and eliminated [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah, and now is exactly the time to continue striking them with full force in order to realize the fruits of victory."

He said that Israel would not "allow any [ceasefire] arrangement that does not include achieving the objectives of the war," including "disarming Hezbollah, pushing them beyond the Litani River.”

Israel plans Lebanon ceasefire as ‘gift’ to Trump: Report

On the other hand, the Washington Post yesterday reported that Israel is advancing efforts to broker a ceasefire with Lebanon as a gift and diplomatic gesture for the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

“There is an understanding that Israel would gift something to Trump … that in January there will be an understanding about Lebanon,” an Israeli official tells the Post, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The report comes after it was reported that Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met with Trump. According to a report in Axios earlier in the week, the aim of the meeting was for him to pass along messages regarding Israel’s plans for Gaza, Lebanon and Iran over the next two months.

Dermer discussed the matter with Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, an architect of the Abraham Accords.

A former Trump administration official told the paper that Kushner may assume an advisory role should normalization talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia advance even if he holds no official position in the White House.

Borrell proposes to suspend dialogue

Meanwhile, The EU's outgoing foreign policy chief has urged the bloc to suspend a political dialogue with Israel, four diplomats said yesterday.

In the letter sent to EU foreign ministers ahead of their meeting next week, Joseph Borrell expressed "serious concerns about possible breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza.”

Borrell proposed invoking the human rights clause to suspend the political dialogue with Israel although such a suspension would require unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states, which diplomats believe is unlikely.

This proposal will be discussed at the upcoming meeting, which will be Borrell's final one before he concludes his five-year term.

In another development, Human Rights Watch said yesterday that Israel's repeated evacuation orders in Gaza amount to the "war crime of forcible transfer,” and to "ethnic cleansing" in parts of the Palestinian territory.

"Human Rights Watch has amassed evidence that Israeli officials are... committing the war crime of forcible transfer," a report said.

"Israel's actions appear to also meet the definition of ethnic cleansing" in the areas where Palestinians will not be able to return, HRW added.

In a similar report yesterday, a U.N. special committee said Israel’s warfare methods in Gaza are consistent with “genocide,” including the use of starvation as a weapon of war.