On the evening of Thursday 16 April, the Presidents of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council, António Costa, welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, negotiated by US President Donald Trump. “It must now be implemented and verified on the ground”, stressed Mr Costa on X.
While this ceasefire is “a relief”, as the conflict has already claimed “far too many lives” - more than 2,000 since the beginning of March in Lebanon - “now we need not just a temporary pause, but a path to permanent peace”, added Ms von der Leyen, also on X.
According to Mr Costa, it is therefore “essential that Israel and Lebanon engage in meaningful negotiations that deliver concrete results - for the sake of their peoples and the prospect of a sustainable peace”. He said that the only way to restore stability to the country was to give the authorities the means to disarm Hezbollah. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)