Israel Matzav

Why didn't they think of that before?

UNIFIL has woken up to the reality that the current rules of engagement under Security Council Resolution 1701 are not workable because they require a request from the Lebanese Army before UNIFIL can engage Hezbullah.

"There is a feeling of frustration within UNIFIL that under the current rules of engagement they are not free to do their job, which is to prevent Hizbullah rearmament in southern Lebanon," an Israeli defense official told the Post.

The good news is that a change to the rules of engagement apparently does NOT require Security Council approval:

UNIFIL, commanded by Maj.-Gen. Claudio Graziano of Italy, cannot make changes to the rules of engagement on its own. The decision needs to be made by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, in conjunction with countries that contribute forces to UNIFIL.

Apparently the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have apparently been dragging their feet about investigating 'incidents' and calling in UNIFIL:

UNIFIL is considering rules of engagement that would allow its forces to engage Hizbullah if the LAF does not arrive after being alerted to an incident within a specified, and as yet undetermined, length of time. According to Israeli officials, UNIFIL sometimes waits a long time before the LAF arrives at the scene of an incident.

But not everyone thinks the rules need to be changed:

A senior government official who deals with the UN said he did not know of any move by UNIFIL to alter its rules of engagement. The official said UNIFIL has "enough tools to operate within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, both south and north of the Litani."

Does this mean they will start to patrol at night? And is Lebanon part of the decision-making process so that they can hold up any change?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:20 PM