When powerlessness cloaks itself in firmness

The declaration specifically calls for Israel to maintain a buffer zone in southern Lebanon after the ceasefire. Israel regards this area as a strategic element of security, while Beirut sees it as an infringement of its sovereignty. So this is not an accusation of formal annexation, but a de facto occupation of a strip of post-conflict Lebanese territory.

Israel does not want to “annex Lebanon”. But, the formulation “territorial aims” is deliberately broader and more suggestive than factual reality—and this is where deciphering becomes interesting.

Three overlapping readings

1. The diplomatic interpretation of E. Macron follows the traditional........

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