J Street welcomes news of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon to end more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. We extend our deep gratitude to all the international diplomats who played a role in bringing the fighting to an end, in particular Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Special Envoy Amos Hochstein, who deserve much credit for the work they and their international counterparts have put into reaching this moment.

We urge that all parties to the agreement ensure that the terms of the ceasefire are fully enforced so that civilians in both Israel and Lebanon can return safely to their homes as soon as possible. The Lebanese government and army, as well as the international community, have important work to do to ensure that this agreement is actually enforced and that Hezbollah is not allowed to return to the south of the country and once again pose a threat to the people of Israel.

The fighting in Lebanon that began with the barrage of rockets into northern Israel shortly after Hamas’ horrific October 7 terror attack has been a disaster for tens of thousands of Israelis and their communities, displaced from their homes for over a year now, as well as for many thousands of people throughout Lebanon. We are hopeful that rebuilding and reconstruction can begin soon in both areas and that security for people on both sides of the border can be assured.

This ceasefire is one important step toward de-escalating conflict across the region. However, the work of US diplomacy will not be complete until a ceasefire and hostage deal is reached for Gaza as well. J Street hopes that today’s announcement can be a catalyst for progress toward returning the hostages, ending the fighting in the south and surging much-needed humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.

There remains as well a vital task for the diplomats, and that is to put in place a longer-term plan that resolves the underlying conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and leads toward a comprehensive regional agreement. J Street continues to believe that there is no military solution to the conflicts in the region and that the only path to lasting security runs through the kind of successful diplomacy that resulted in today’s agreement.