Bangladesh, March 3 -- For half a century, Lebanon has oscillated between fragile calm and devastating conflict. From the civil war of 1975–1990 to repeated confrontations with Israel, the countrys modern history has been defined by cycles of violence that have exhausted its people and hollowed out its institutions. Today, as tensions once again surge along the southern border and political fault lines deepen in Beirut, a fundamental question confronts the nation: will Hezbollah heed the growing Lebanese plea for peace, or will it persist in tying Lebanons fate to regional confrontations that many citizens believe are not their own?

The recent decision by the Lebanese government to prohibit all military activities by Hezbollah mark...