Beirut, Lebanon – At a store in Beirut, a shopowner breaks into laughter.“No, I don’t want to comment on the negotiations,” he told Al Jazeera, referring to Thursday evening’s direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington, DC. “If I say the wrong thing, someone might come hit me.”Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listHis response represents the polarisation and controversy surrounding the negotiations inside a country deeply divided over the best way to end Israel’s war on it.For some, the negotiations are the Lebanese state’s only choice. Others, however, reject the talks outright and believe only Hezbollah’s path of armed resistance will lead to a positive outcome for Lebanon.A deal favourable to Israel?On March 2, Israel intensified its war on Lebanon once again. That came after Hezbollah responded to incessant Israeli attacks for the first time in more than 15 months. Hezbollah said its response was also a retaliation for the Israeli-US killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei two days earlier.Israel has killed 2,294 people in Lebanon since March 2, including journalists and medics. It has also displaced more than 1.2 million people while expanding its invasion of Lebanon and establishing what it calls a “yellow line” around 10km (6 miles) from the border. Residents are not allowed to return to their homes if they are within that Israeli-claimed buffer zone, and Israel has demolished homes and villages in it.Al Jazeera visited three towns – al-Mansouri, Majdal Zoun, and Qlaileh – on a tour organised by Hezbollah, the Lebanese political and military group that controls the area. The towns were rife with destruction, with buildings reduced to dust and rubble. Advertisement Thursday’s talks a …
