Foreign Relations

Israel Considers Switzerland to Supervise the Lebanon Agreement

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Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of a long, pale limestone ridge in southern Lebanon seen across a valley, its slopes scored with erosion and shadow and a cluster of ruined stone structures on the high ground at the right, with low village houses, cypress and olive trees scattered along the foreground and a hazy sky above, rendered in warm ochre and slate-blue chalk and pastel strokes with cross-hatching on textured paper.

Israel is weighing Switzerland to provide the foreign force that would supervise implementation of its agreement with Lebanon, sources familiar with the talks said Saturday. Senior Swiss officials have met counterparts in Jerusalem and Washington since February, and Switzerland's ambassador to Israel, Simon Geissbühler, is described as close to Israel's political echelon. Bern's strong ties with the Lebanese government make it acceptable to both sides. Israel said after the latest Rome round that no country acting against it in the international courts in The Hague would be approved as a supervisor. Israel and Lebanon agreed there on a shortlist of candidate verifiers, with Washington to choose.

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