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3. Yoav Gallant: Lebanon at a Crossroads

Former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant wrote an article titled “Written in Ink, Signed in Fire,” in which he offers a description of the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, arguing that agreements alone do not produce lasting peace unless they are backed by military superiority that imposes facts on the ground.

In the article, Gallant writes: “In the Arab world, rejection of Israel’s right to exist as a state is not a new concept. However, over the years, more Arab countries have gradually begun to accept Israel’s legitimacy. Two of the four countries bordering Israel today have maintained peace agreements for decades, even during periods of turmoil. As the balance of power in the region changes, a fundamental question emerges: what makes an agreement ‘good’ in the Middle East?”

Gallant says that Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah offers Lebanon a historic opportunity. He asserted that Hezbollah portrayed itself as a “defender of Lebanon,” while stripping the state of sovereignty and dragging its people toward ruin. By striking its infrastructure and forcing its arms north of the Litani, the “occupying force” was removed, he added.

He writes that many Lebanese—Christians, Druze, Sunnis, and even some Shiites—understand this reality and implicitly acknowledge that Israel has done more for Lebanon’s independence in a few months than any other actor has in decades. Whether Lebanon’s leaders seize this opportunity, he says, depends on their courage. Just as Egypt and Jordan turned battlefield realism into peace agreements serving their national interests, Lebanon must recognize that a militia loyal to Tehran offers neither prosperity nor security.

“For Israel,” Gallant concludes, “the matter is clear: words, declarations, and even agreements carry little weight. What matters is performance on the ground. Agreements formalize understandings, but peace emerges only when war convinces your enemy that achieving its goals is impossible—and it endures only as long as the ability to enforce it remains.”