On Tuesday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will arrive at the White House, the first official visit by a Lebanese president in 17 years. At a time when the Middle East is undergoing profound change, this visit should not be viewed as a routine diplomatic engagement. It represents a rare opportunity to ask a question that has seemed impossible for generations: can Lebanon and Israel finally begin building a different future?
We write this from opposite sides of a border that has too often been defined by fear, conflict, and missed opportunities. Our experiences are different, but our hope is shared.
Avital is a former senior officer in the Israel Defense Forces, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, and someone who has spent years living under the threat of Hezbollah rockets and attacks. She has witnessed firsthand the human cost of perpetual conflict and understands the necessity of security.
Ahmed is a Lebanese citizen who grew up in the shadow of a hijacked state. He has watched his country’s vibrant potential be systematically suffocated by an armed terror organization that operates completely outside the law.
Since October 7, 2023, Lebanon has been dragged, twice, into wars that led to humanitarian and financial catastrophes. The first was initiated by Hezbollah on October 8, 2023, as a ‘support front’ for Hamas’ war in Gaza. The second began in March 2026, after Hezbollah decided to avenge Ali Khamenei’s assassination. Both wars had nothing to do with Lebanese interests and came as Lebanon was contending with both social divisions and economic hardship.
Lebanon must break the cycle of Iranian influence and conflict
These two recent cases alone are enough to show how Hezbollah is being led, guided, and funded by Iran and will inevitably bring war to Lebanon. As a Lebanese citizen living in this country, I find it irrational and unfair for me and millions like me to stand and watch this never-ending cycle, from the PLO to Hezbollah. It is time to take a clear stance to put an end to this cycle and build a nation where dreaming about a better future should not clash with a terror organization’s foreign affiliations and the interests of the countries it’s associated with.
We are standing at a historic crossroads: either the Lebanese people and our elected government reclaim our state institutions and monopoly on force now, or we allow our nation to permanently dissolve. True independence means having the courage to decide our own foreign policy based entirely on Lebanese national interests that begin with ending Iran’s hegemony and end with securing peace across our southern border.
Lebanon and Israel have already begun a negotiation process hosted by the United States, before which the flags of the two nations were not allowed to be seen together due to outdated local policies. With President Aoun in the U.S this week, we believe the negotiations must be escalated to serious peace talks with an eye on a permanent peace agreement that will be a win for both sides.
Israel has paid a heavy price as well. Communities in northern Israel have endured years of rocket attacks, cross-border infiltration attempts, and repeated wars. Families have spent countless nights in bomb shelters, never knowing when the next escalation would come.
Neither nation has benefited from this reality.
Our stories are different, but they lead us to the same conclusion: the people of Lebanon and Israel deserve something better than endless confrontation.
The Abraham Accords demonstrated that former adversaries can build meaningful partnerships. Countries where the most basic diplomatic relations were once forbidden now cooperate in trade, technology, tourism, investment, and security. The old assumption that peace in the Middle East is impossible has already been disproven.
Lebanon should not be left behind.
Israel has much to offer a peaceful Lebanon, not as an act of charity, but as the foundation of a mutually beneficial partnership.
The potential of Israeli Lebanese cooperation
Israel has become a global leader in innovation, water management, agriculture, healthcare, cybersecurity, and renewable energy. Lebanese entrepreneurs, engineers, physicians, and students are among the most talented in the Arab world. Imagine what could happen if these strengths complemented one another rather than remained separated by hostility.
Tourism offers another remarkable opportunity. Lebanon’s mountains, coastline, cuisine, history, and culture once attracted visitors from around the world. Israelis already travel throughout the region following the Abraham Accords. One day, they could contribute to Lebanon’s economic recovery while discovering a neighboring country that many know only through decades of conflict.
Energy cooperation, environmental protection, academic exchanges, medical partnerships, and joint business ventures could benefit both societies. Instead of investing billions in preparing for the next war, our countries could invest in building shared prosperity.
This opportunity, however, is not guaranteed.
History teaches us that geopolitical windows are temporary. Leadership changes. Regional priorities evolve. International attention shifts elsewhere. The decisions made over the coming months may shape the next generation of Middle Eastern history.
Americans understand better than most that peace is rarely achieved simply because enemies grow tired of fighting. It requires courageous leadership, strategic vision, and citizens willing to imagine a future different from the past.
That is precisely what this moment demands.
We recognize that peace cannot erase decades of pain. It cannot immediately heal trauma or eliminate distrust. It cannot ignore legitimate security concerns or political realities.
But peace has never required forgetting history.
It requires deciding that history should no longer dictate the future.
One of us carries memories of Holocaust survival passed down through family. The other carries the experience of watching Lebanon struggle under the weight of a terrorist organization, repeated wars, and economic collapse. Those histories are different, but they lead us to the same belief: our children deserve to inherit a region defined by opportunity instead of fear.
President Aoun’s visit to Washington should be remembered not simply because it is the first in 17 years.
It should be remembered as the moment when Lebanon began reclaiming its sovereignty, when Israel extended its hand in partnership, and when both nations chose to invest in hope instead of hostility.
History rarely offers second chances. This is one of them. We cannot afford to let it slip away.
Lt.-Col. (res.) Avital Leibovich is the director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in Israel. She served as the IDF's foreign media spokesperson and is a lieutenant colonel.
Ahmed is a Lebanese activist. His full name has been withheld for his safety.