Israel has proposed bringing the remains of Jews buried in Lebanon to Israel for reburial as part of a possible civilian exchange agreement under discussion with Beirut, Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported Monday.
The proposal would allow descendants of Lebanese Jews to transfer relatives buried in Jewish cemeteries in Lebanon to cemeteries in Israel. This issue was raised by Israel while discussing Lebanon’s historic Jewish community and requests from families seeking to relocate their relatives’ remains, according to the report.
Al-Akhbar said Israeli representatives specifically referred to numerous Jewish graves in cemeteries in Beirut and Sidon.
The proposed arrangement was described as a “civilian prisoner exchange deal” that would combine the transfer of Jewish remains with the release of some Lebanese detainees. Hezbollah members would not be included among those released under the proposal, according to the report.
Lebanon had a Jewish population for centuries, reaching an estimated 12,000 to 20,000 people at its peak. Thousands of Jews continued living in Lebanon until the 1967 Six-Day War.
The reported proposal comes as separate discussions between Israel and Lebanon face uncertainty over when negotiations will resume.
A Lebanese diplomatic source told Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen that another negotiating round is not expected next month. Any further talks would probably take place after the summer, the source said.
Disagreements also remain over the expansion of pilot areas being used in the process. Israel and the United States want progress to be made in the two areas already designated for the pilot program before additional locations are added, according to the source.
Israel and the US have also demanded that Hezbollah withdraw from the Ali Taher Ridge near Nabatieh.
The Lebanese side has separately challenged Israel’s explanation for explosions in southern Lebanon. According to the Al-Mayadeen source, Lebanon rejected Israel’s position that all of the explosions resulted from Israeli strikes against military infrastructure.
