WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a diplomatic development that has stunned the international community almost as much as it has stunned the participants, Israeli and Lebanese delegations sat across a table from one another on Tuesday for the first time since 1993 — a meeting that all parties described as historic, significant, and, when pressed, extremely awkward.
“We have not done this in 33 years,” said one Lebanese official who asked not to be named. “There was a lot of not-knowing-where-to-look.”
The talks, brokered by the United States, are aimed at establishing a formal peace framework between the two countries, though the effort faces a significant obstacle in the form of Hezbollah, which has rejected the process entirely and issued a statement calling the meetings illegitimate — which diplomats noted is technically their position on most things.
U.S. mediators expressed cautious optimism, describing the first session as a beginning. Israeli negotiators called it a step. Lebanese negotiators called it a step, but also noted they walked there very carefully.
A second round of talks is expected next week, provided everyone can agree on the location, the agenda, the seating arrangement, and whether the coffee should be Lebanese or Israeli — a debate which consumed the final 45 minutes of Tuesday’s session.
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