Mideast wars top agenda of G7 nations on first day of conference

G7 leaders met Monday in the Italian city of Fiuggi, some 70 kilometers south-east of Rome. Progress on brokering a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon were foremost on the nations' agenda.

Two months after Isreal launched its ground invasion of Lebanon, reports suggest a US-led proposal could soon be accepted by the warring sides.

Italy's Foreign minister who hosted the G7 meeting, expressed cautious optimism.

"We are maybe close to a cease fire in Lebanon, let's touch wood and let's hope it's true, and there is no reverse gear at the last moment," Antonio Tajani said.

"A little bit more complicated in Gaza but we all want to work to reach this goal."

Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as well as the Secretary General of the Arab League, also joined the meeting.

As the G7 ministers arrived in Italy, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Mike Herzog, told Israeli Army Radio on Monday a ceasefire deal to end fighting between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah could be reached “within days.”

“We need a ceasefire, a permanent ceasefire. That will stop the killings and stop the destruction and restore a sense of normalcy to life,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told the conference.

Pressure, negotiations

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, for his part, reaffirmed that Cairo would host a minister-level conference next Monday on mobilizing international aid for Gaza.

The so-called “Quintet” has been working with the U.S. to finalize a “day after” plan for Gaza. There is some urgency to make progress before the Trump administration takes over in January. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to pursue a policy that strongly favors Israel over the aspirations of the Palestinians.

The proposal under discussion to end the fighting calls for an initial two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River.

For now, Israel continues its deadly strikes across Beurtouth, including meters from a Lebanese police base and the city's largest public park.

Lebanese politicians have decried the ongoing airstrikes and said they are impeding U.S.-led ceasefire negotiations. The country's deputy parliament speaker accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment in order to pressure Lebanon to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah.