Lebanon (MNN) — Lebanese Christians are balancing hope with skepticism as Lebanese officials meet their Israeli counterparts in the United States for a fifth round of peace talks.
Heart for Lebanon’s Camille Melki says, “Our prayer is that those negotiations will go forth productively and will come up with some very affirmative steps to keep the ceasefire holding and lead into a long-term peace agreement.”
So far, talks have done little to stop fighting on the ground. Melki says, “Prior to this last ceasefire, there have been more than a dozen ceasefires that did not last for more than an hour or two hours.”
The longest pause after three months of war began Saturday night. The ceasefire came as a result of a U.S.-Iran agreement to stop fighting on all fronts – including Lebanon.
Because today’s peace talks involve Israel and the Lebanese government, the Iranian proxy Hezbollah remains a wildcard.
“Neither the Lebanese government nor the US nor Israel wants a seat for Hezbollah at the (negotiating) table,” Melki says.
“Our presidents made it very clear: ‘We welcome every party that wants to help, but no one negotiates on behalf of Lebanon except its government.’”
(Photo courtesy Heart for Lebanon)
Meanwhile, suffering continues. Fighting has killed over 4,000 people since March, and more than 1 million have been displaced.
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“This is our golden opportunity, not only to care and support families in great need, but also to bring the Gospel in meaningful and tangible ways [to] people who have been deceived [and] indoctrinated,” Melki says.
“Our goal is to make sure that every family we touch, every individual we serve, we tell them of the Jesus that we believe in.”
Header and story images courtesy of Heart for Lebanon.
