Kiryat Shmona Mayor Slams Lebanon Ceasefire Deal as Driven by 'Foreign Interests'

The mayor of Kiryat Shmona lashed out at the newly announced Lebanon ceasefire framework, accusing Israeli and American negotiators of prioritizing foreign interests over the genuine security needs of northern Israel's residents, and suggesting the deal was not worth the paper it was written on as long as Hezbollah remained intact.

"Lucky for us Hezbollah will reject the deal," Mayor Avichai Stern said in a bitterly sardonic remark on Radio 103FM, expressing hope that the terrorist group itself would torpedo the diplomatic effort. "Why are we even negotiating while that organization still exists? Any talks can only happen after Hezbollah is eliminated - as they promised us."

Stern went on to accuse the government of holding northern residents hostage to American diplomatic considerations. "They're keeping us as hostages of the United States," he charged. "If they were looking after Israel's interests, I'd be calm. But they're looking after foreign interests here."

The mayor's remarks came hours after the United States, Israel, and Lebanon issued a joint statement following two days of U.S.-brokered talks in Washington on June 2 and 3. The agreement, reached following the fourth high-level trilateral meeting between Israeli and Lebanese representatives, is contingent on a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives from the South Litani Sector.

The deal, however, is missing one crucial party to the fighting: Hezbollah itself. Hours after the agreement was announced, the militant group said it would reject any ceasefire that did not begin with the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.

Political and military negotiations are scheduled to resume the week of June 22, with the United States continuing its role as mediator.

Stern, a Likud member who has repeatedly clashed with the Netanyahu government over its handling of the north, has been among the most vocal critics of the ceasefire process since hostilities erupted. Despite his party affiliation, he has been an outspoken critic of government policy in northern Israel since the previous bout of fighting with Hezbollah erupted in October 2023, forcing the evacuation of his city. Roughly a third of Kiryat Shmona's pre-war population of approximately 26,000 have not returned since being evacuated in 2023.

Stern has argued that a real ceasefire is not measured by statements from Washington, but by a single question: can a child in Kiryat Shmona go to sleep without fear --- and his answer has consistently been no.

The friction between border community leaders and Jerusalem has intensified in recent days. Kiryat Shmona Deputy Mayor Ze'evik Zweigi, responding to a missile strike on the city last week that penetrated Iron Dome defenses, threatened to publicly resign from Likud unless the government delivered tangible results within a month. "They may have announced a ceasefire, but in Kiryat Shmona and the surrounding area, there hasn't been a moment of ceasefire," he said.