Something intriguing is playing out in Washington’s diplomacy in the Middle East, where two separate tracks of negotiations seeking to end two interconnected conflicts are seemingly working at cross-purposes.
Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio presided over the signing of a framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon aimed at restoring the Lebanese government’s sovereignty over the country’s territory. That came less than two weeks after the signing of another document, the memorandum of understanding negotiated primarily by Vice President JD Vance, which sought to end the war between the U.S. and Iran, but also dealt in part with the future of Lebanon.
The curious aspect of these negotiations is that they are parallel, but not complementary. In fact, they are moving on paths that seem destined for collision.