Lebanese president challenges Hezbollah, advocates for diplomacy with Israel

The Jewish Independent ^ | 18 June 2026 | Shahar Burla

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun did something almost unheard of last week. In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour,

He looked directly into the camera and addressed the Israeli public:

"Are you fed up with war since 1948?" he asked. "Do you really want to live in peace? Let's sit and talk."

In some of his strongest remarks since becoming president, he directly accused Iran of treating Lebanon as a bargaining chip. "It's not your country, it's our country," Aoun said when discussing Tehran's role in Lebanon.

President Isaac Herzog welcomed the Lebanese leader's comments and reiterated Israel's stated desire for peace with Lebanon.

More noteworthy was the reaction from parts of Israeli civil society. Several peace organisations, including Women Wage Peace, the Israeli-Palestinian Bereaved Families Forum, the Women's Cabinet – Security, Policy and Society, and Mothers' Cry, organised an open letter responding directly to Aoun's appeal. More than 1,250 Israeli women signed the initiative.

Dear Mr President,

We heard your message to the Israeli public in your interview with Christiane Amanpour, and especially your question: Do we really want to live in an endless war? Our answer is no.

An Open Letter from Israeli Women to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun

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TOPICS: Iran; Israel; Lebanon
KEYWORDS: hezbollah; iran; israel; lebanon; peace

[CondoleezzaProtege]

[Sacajaweau]

btt

[montag813]

President Aoun is a Maronite Christian. Under Lebanon’s retarded constitution, the president must be Christian, but the Prime Minister must be a Sunni Muslim and the Parliament Speaker a Shi’a Muslim. Of course nearly the entire nation used to be Christian, until successive Muslim-caused civil wars tore the beautiful nation apart.

[nitzy]

Of course nearly the entire nation used to be Christian, until successive Muslim-caused civil wars tore the beautiful nation apart.

When did that start happening?

[Carry_Okie]

Let’s hear it for nationalism!

[Atlantic Friend]

In the 1970s, partly because of an influx of Palestinian refugees fleeing the zones occupied by Israel after the 6-day War. Bear in mind that while Christians (of different churches) composed the majority of the population, it’s not as if they were alone in Lebanon, hence the faith-based division of power.

[montag813]

When did that start happening?

The first Lebanese civil war was in 1860. 10,000 Christians were massacred.