UNIFIL assisting Lebanese government investigation into alleged 'spying' by Israel
And you thought that UNIFIL's function was to keep the peace.
UNFIL has turned over to the Lebanes government a long-time employee who is accused of '
spying' for Israel, and has said that it will assist the Hezbullah-dominated Lebanese government's 'investigation.'
The Lebanese man who had worked in the UNIFIL
administration for over 20 years is among three people accused by
authorities of spying for Israel.
On Sunday, Lebanese authorities said they had arrested
the three suspects, a Syrian man and his Lebanese wife and a Lebanese
man.
But the Lebanese man "was in the UNIFIL compound when authorities requested him," UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told AFP.
"We asked U.N. headquarters in New York to determine
whether immunity would be applied in his case, and the U.N. determined
that since the allegations were not related to his official functions,
immunity from legal proceedings would not apply," he added.
The man was taken into custody on Wednesday.
In an official statement, UNIFIL said Wednesday that it
“will continue to provide the assistance required to facilitate the
Government's investigations into the allegations.”
“UNIFIL considers it of the utmost importance that the
investigative and judicial process is conducted in accordance with the
international standards of justice, fairness and due process of law and
fully supports the Lebanese authorities in the effort,” it said.
“To this end, UNIFIL will continue to act in full
transparency, in coordination with the Lebanese authorities, and in
accordance with the long-established procedures and agreements,” it
added.
On Sunday, Lebanon's General Security service announced it had arrested a "spy network."
It accused the three suspects of gathering information on individuals and security and military targets.
It said the three also allegedly filmed "sensitive"
roads and other areas in south Lebanon "and sent the footage to their
employers to be used in later attacks."
Because the Lebanese 'justice' system is right up to UN standards of due process. And to think that the United States under Obama continues to contribute millions of dollars every year to this travesty.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Hezbullah, Lebanon, spying, UNIFIL, United Nations budget
Uh oh: IDF 'losing control' on the Lebanese border
By an incident that injured two IDF soldiers on the Lebanese border at Har Dov on Tuesday, Hezbullah is warning the IDF that
it no longer has carte blanche on the Lebanese border.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for
the attack just a few hours later - a move [Israeli] officials say is
uncharacteristic of the group, in that it sends a "clear message to
Israel," and could indicate a change in policy.
Over the past several years, they stressed, Hezbollah has taken
great lengths to remain quiet over their role in border skirmishes and
has rarely openly taken responsibility for attacks on the IDF and
Israelis.
But hours after the attack, deputy Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem declared that the bomb was a deliberate response to Israel's "violations."
“We wanted to tell Israelis that we are ready and that there is
no way they can assault us while we stand by and watch,” said Qassem,
according to the Lebanese The Daily Star.
Qassem added that Hezbollah terrorists were capable of infiltrating Israel to plant the bombs despite heavy surveillance.
The officials noted that the group's newfound defiance could
preclude another conflict, and added that it possibly indicates the IDF
may be "losing control" along the border.
JPost adds:
Hezbollah, which sees itself as the defender of the Lebanese nation, has
decided to change its approach. It responds to any incident that it
views as an Israeli attack on Lebanese sovereignty or as a breach of the
rules of the game. And not only does it respond, it usually also takes
responsibility. Hezbollah’s responses were also noted on the Golan
Heights, where it has operated “envoys,” Syrian mercenaries, this year.
Hezbollah
is up to its neck in the civil war in Syria, where it sent about 5,000
of its 30,000 fighters. The battle is spilling over from Syria to
Lebanon.
Hezbollah has suffered, and is suffering, difficult
losses in these two fronts. But it hasn’t lost its confidence or its
military capabilities.
With the help of its up-to-date weapons,
and especially its massive stockpile of up to 100,000 missiles,
Hezbollah believes in its ability to challenge Israel, and, if need be,
even stand up to it for a long period of time and to wear it out if the
situation deteriorates to a war that none of the players in the equation
– Israel, Hezbollah, and its patron Iran – wishes for.
Hmmm.
Labels: Hezbullah, IDF, Lebanese Armed Forces, Lebanon, Shaba Farms, UN Security Council Resolution 1701, UNIFIL
Foreign Ministry Legal Department: International force in Gaza could be precedent for Judea and Samaria
A paper prepared by Israel's notoriously Leftist foreign ministry says that the presence of an international force to keep the 'peace' in Gaza could act as a
precedent for a similar force in Judea and Samaria.
The seven-page paper, written by the ministry’s legal department, presents alternative models for the establishment of an international presence or mechanism in the Gaza Strip for the “day after” the fighting ends.
The idea of a multinational force in the West Bank has been raised over the years by the Palestinians and others as a possible solution to Israel’s security concerns if it withdraws from the area. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has consistently opposed the proposals.
The ministry drew up the paper following Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman’s call in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday to bring a “UN mandate” to Gaza.
...
One option would be a binding Security Council resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter that would give an international force enforcement authority and the ability to use force beyond just self-defense purposes to carry out its designated mission. In the case of Gaza, this would necessitate the agreement of the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Israel and the tacit approval of Hamas.
...
Another model would be under Chapter VI of the UN Charter, where a force would be established that would not have enforcement authority, and would be primarily concerned with supervisory or reportorial roles.
The duties of this type of force would include reporting on ceasefire violations, efforts at demilitarization, supervising rehabilitation of Gaza, reporting on terrorist activity, overseeing humanitarian assistance and institution building.
There are a number of examples of this type of force in the region, such as UNIFIL, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon; UNDOF, the UN Disengagement Observer Force on the Golan: and UNFICYP, the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.
Another option is creating a framework outside the UN and agreed upon by the parties. The two examples of this type of arrangement are also taken from the region, the Multinational Force and Observers in Sinai established as part of the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace agreement, and TIPH, the Temporary International Presence in Hebron.
Before deciding which model would be preferable, the paper said that in addition to concern about the precedent such a force would set regarding the West Bank, several other factors needed to be considered.
There are many reasons not to agree to this force.
Read the whole thing.
Labels: EUBAM Rafah, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Palestinian Authority, UN peacekeeping forces, UNIFIL, use of force
UNIFIL to Hezbullah: Don't do it again
In response to Hezbullah's claim that it was behind a roadside bomb that wounded four IDF troops along the Israel-Lebanon border fence last week, UNIFIL commander Paolo Serra
told Hezbullah not to do it again.
Maj.-Gen. Paolo Serra the commander of the United Nations Interim
Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Thursday in response to Hezbollah
claim that it was behind last week’s bombing that wounded four Israeli
soldiers: Investigations are ongoing regarding al-Labbouneh incident.
What happened is dangerous and should not occur again.
This comes after Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah
claimed during an interview with Lebanese television station
Al-Mayadeen that two remote-control bombs detonated inside Lebanon when
the Israeli force crossed the border. He said Hezbollah members knew in
advance the Israelis were coming and planted the bombs to target them.
“The feet that will enter our land and we know about it will be cut. …
This is our right,” Nasrallah said. “We will not forgive any ground
violation of our land.”
According to UN observers Hezbollah’s action is in violation of
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which was intended to
end the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Hezbollah
representatives in the Lebanese cabinet voted for the resolution on
August 11, 2006.
I'm sure Nasrallah is shaking with fear. What could go wrong?
Labels: blue line, Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbullah, Lebanon, UNIFIL
Austria withdraws from Golan peacekeeping force
In case you were wondering why Israel doesn't place a lot of stock in international peacekeeping forces, consider this.
After the 1956 Sinai war, UN peacekeepers were installed to watch our border with Egypt. In May 1967, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser expelled them, and the Six Day War ensued.
After Israel 'unilaterally disengaged' from Gaza in 2005, European troops were installed to watch the critical Philadelphi corridor between Gaza and Egypt, which was being used for weapons smuggling. When Hamas took over Gaza in 2007, the Europeans fled.
After the 1974 disengagement of forces between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights, a United Nations force was installed to watch the border between the two countries. Now, with Syria's civil war spilling into the Golan, Austria, which has the largest contingent in the force, is
withdrawing its troops. (And there are many other examples - UNIFIL in Lebanon and UNDOF in Sinai come immediately to mind - of ineffective peacekeeping forces).
The Austrian decision came after battles between Syrian troops and
rebels near the Quneitra crossing point. The 1,000 strong United
Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has been monitoring the
border for the last 40 years.
Israel is keen on the force remaining on the border and trying to
preserve the quiet that has reigned there for some 40 years. The Foreign
Ministry issued a statement saying that it "regrets" the Austrian
decision and "hopes it will not lead to an additional escalation" in the
region.
The statement said that Israel expected the UN to uphold its commitment under Security Council Resolution 350 to maintain UNDOF.
One
diplomatic official said that Israel was watching the developments
closely and that its faith in the international peace keeping troops
hung in the balance. "If at a time when a few bullets are fired, these
forces run away form where they are needed to keep the peace, then what
is it worth," the official said.
Indeed.
Read the whole thing.
Assad's troops apparently took back the border crossing during the day on Thursday.
Labels: Austria, Ban Ki-Moon, Bashar al-Assad, EUBAM Rafah, Free Syrian Army, Golan Heights, Nusra Front, Syria, Syrian uprising, UNDOF, UNIFIL
UNDOF 'curtailing' night time patrols
One of the reasons that UNIFIL has been so totally ineffective in preventing Hezbullah from arming itself in southern Lebanon is the fact that they are
too scared to patrol at night.
After last week's
kidnapping on the Golan Heights UNDOF, which 'observes' the peace along our border with Syria, is apparently
heading in the same direction.
The United Nations observers stationed in the Golan Heights have
stopped their night patrols along the Syrian-Israeli cease-fire line.
A
U.N. spokesman said, Tuesday, that over the weekend, after 21
Philippine observers were freed by their Syrian rebel captors, fire was
directed at one of their positions. The spokesman called it a very
difficult place to work.
Once again, it is proven that the value of UN 'peacekeepers' is minimal in the face of Arab and Muslim terrorism. For those who believe that UN or other international 'peacekeepers' would
ensure peace on a border between Israel and a terrorist state of 'Palestine,' please explain why they would be any different than those on our borders with Syria and Lebanon, or for that matter from the peacekeepers who
fled our border with Gaza in 2007 and our
border with Egypt in 1967.
Labels: EUBAM Rafah, Golan Heights, Syria, UN peacekeeping forces, UNDOF, UNIFIL
Unarmed (!?!) UN troops on Syrian and Lebanese borders with Israel attacked
You'd think they were patrolling the borders between the US and Canada rather than what are probably the two most heavily armed borders in the world. Twice in the last week, unarmed UN troops have been attacked. On Monday, Finnish UNTSO forces were attacked on the
Syrian side of the southern Golan Heights and on Saturday, Belgian UNIFIL troops were attacked in
southern Lebanon.
This is from the first link.
Finnish UNTSO military observers were paired to take care of a routine mission when armed men stopped their vehicle. An Arabic-speaking duo forced the observers out at gunpoint. The observers didn’t understand the language, but quickly figured out the plot.
- The intention was clear: out of the car, they wanted it, Lieutenant Colonel Jukka Honkanen says.
Honkanen has talked to the threatened Finnish observers. According to Honkanen, the observers after the first moments feel it to be a life threatening situation. It was clear that these men didn’t want to do violence, but to take the car. The thieves ended up with not only UN property but the observers property as well.
Notice the apologetics.... Of course they didn't feel threatened....
This is from the second link.
Residents of south Lebanon briefly blocked a road in front of Belgian
peacekeepers Saturday and stole a memory card belonging to one of the
patrol’s members, security sources told The Daily Star. After the
Belgian unit, specialized in demining, took pictures of a mine field in
the Marjayoun village of Mais al-Jabal and was on its way out of the
area, residents in their car blocked the path of a vehicle belonging to
the Belgium contingent of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon,
the sources said. The residents then stole a memory card of a
camera that belonged to the peacekeepers. The sources said there was no
physical confrontation between the residents and the peacekeepers. Items belonging to UNFIL have been taken off its members in the past. The head of the U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon, Maj. Gen. Paulo Serra, has warned against intercepting UNIFIL patrols
and confiscating their equipment, saying that such actions are not only
illegal, they could escalate, endangering both soldiers and civilians. [more]
And these people are going to prevent Hezbullah or Syria from starting a war with Israel? Why on earth are they out without weapons?
Labels: Golan Heights, Hezbullah, Southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, United Nations
Hezbullah-controlled Lebanon looking for war trigger?
Hezbullah-controlled Lebanon is so wrong on this story that
even UNIFIL has come out on Israel's side. Is Hezbullah looking for an excuse to go to war?
Israeli troops erected earth mounds and established a military post along the border with Lebanon in an area that oversees the Wazzani river zone of Muntazahat, the National News Agency reported Thursday.
Around three bulldozers, a dredger and 30 soldiers backed by four Merkava tanks and 3 Humvees began the operations in the early morning hours along the border that stretches from the Western side of Ghajar all the way to the al-Hamari.
The NNA said that the works carried out by the Israelis are in an area that Lebanon has expressed reservations over.
But the Jewish state and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon consider it in conformity with the U.N.-drawn Blue Line.
UNIFIL and the Lebanese army scrambled to the area and the military asked the peacekeepers to urge Israel to end the aggression, Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said.
But UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told NNA that the mission was informed on Wednesday “by the Israeli army about its intention to carry out some works near Wazzani and UNIFIL immediately informed the Lebanese army about it.”
“During the Israeli works, UNIFIL soldiers and the Lebanese army were present there to monitor the situation and guarantee that there won’t be any violation of the Blue Line,” Tenenti said.
In the past, Lebanon has tried to divert water from the Hezbani and Wazzani rivers to make sure it doesn't reach Israel. Israel is being vigilant and according to UNIFIL, it's within its rights.
Ghajar, as you might recall, is the town that the blue line cuts in half. When it fell back into Israeli control a couple of years ago, the UN demanded that we return it to Hezbullah. But the residents don't want us to do that, so for now it's staying put.
Lebanon can express all the reservations they want, but either the area is over the blue line (which the UN certified in 2000) or it's not. And according to UNIFIL it's not.
Finally, one has to wonder whether Lebanon is looking to create another
incident like two summers ago, or whether they are looking for a war. There aren't too many other logical explanations.
Labels: Lebanese Armed Forces, Lebanon, UNIFIL, water
Israel building wall along Lebanese border?
Lebanon's Naharnet cites an Agence France Press report that claims that
Israel is building a wall along its border with Lebanon.
The Israeli military on Monday began building a wall that will run several kilometers along part of its border with Lebanon, a military spokeswoman told Agence France Presse.
"This construction, which began on Monday, is being carried out in coordination with UNIFIL (the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) and the Lebanese army. The wall is intended to avoid frictions on the border," she said.
Israeli public radio said the wall would be several meters high and intended to protect the Israeli border town of Metulla from fire coming from the Lebanese side. It is expected to take several weeks to build.
Israel's military announced the project in January, saying it would protect recently-constructed apartment blocks in Metulla from sniper fire coming from the Lebanese border town of Kfar Kila.
Hmmm. It sounds like we will soon be walled in on all sides.
Labels: Lebanon, UNIFIL
UNIFIL on the verge of collapsing
UNIFIL, the 'peacekeeping' force that was set up at the end of the Second Lebanon War, is on the verge of collapse, with both
France and Italy set to withdraw substantial numbers of troops.
Earlier this week, France announced that it was withdrawing 400 soldiers from the force but that it would remain committed to the stability of Lebanon with the continued contribution of around 1,500 soldiers. Italy recently also announced plans to downsize its mission in Lebanon.
“This is concerning but expected,” a senior defense official said. “We hope the Europeans remain committed to the operation since without them it will be a force that is not particularly efficient.”
The official said that the Italian and French decision to downsize their contributions was the result of the global economic crisis as well as the growing frequency of attacks against the force.
A roadside bomb wounded five French peacekeepers in southern Lebanon in December, in the third attack of the year on UN forces in the area. Italy reduced its contribution to UNIFIL last year to 1,100 soldiers from 1,800 after six of its peacekeepers were wounded in May, although diplomats said the decision to cut its contingent had been taken before the attack.
I'm not convinced that UNIFIL going away is going to make a big difference in our security. In fact, we might even be better off if they leave. Their rules of engagement don't allow them to make much of a contribution to peace keeping anyway, and there would be less chance of foreign troops being in the way if Israel has to take care of Hezbullah.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Hezbullah, Lebanon, UNIFIL
Who dun' it?
Well, isn't this interesting.
You will recall that earlier today I reported on a
massive explosion in Siddiqin in southern Lebanon.
Israel Radio reported at Midnight that the Lebanese Armed Forces - who like UNIFIL are being denied access to the site of the explosion by Hezbullah - have confirmed to Lebanon's MTV television that the explosion was caused by a Hezbullah ammunition storage area.
But Naharnet - an online portal from Lebanon is telling a completely different story and
blaming... guess whom....
The army command announced on Wednesday that the Siddiqin explosion that took place overnight may have been caused by a mine or cluster bomb left over from Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
It said in a statement that army units headed to the scene of the blast and conducted a wide search throughout the night and during the day on Wednesday without finding anything.
“Given these findings, the explosion was most likely caused by a mine or a cluster bomb,” it concluded.
Hizbullah meanwhile issued a statement condemning media reports that claimed that the blast took place at a party headquarter or arms depot, deeming them as “completely baseless.”
Some people will believe anything, won't they? There is no way an explosion that large is caused by 'a mine or cluster bomb left over from Israeli attacks on Lebanon.'
Labels: Hezbullah weapons, Lebanese Armed Forces, Southern Lebanon, UNIFIL
Breaking: Lebanese reports say Israel 'approached' Fatima Gate
A Lebanese report indicates that the
Lebanese Armed Forces and UNIFIL forces are on alert because IDF forces approached Fatima Gate (the former 'Good Fence' pictured above) to defuse a suspicious object.
Tensions were high at the Fatima gate border crossing in southern Lebanon on Friday when an Israeli army unit approached the border to inspect a suspicious object, reported the National News Agency.
The Lebanese army and United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon promptly went on alert in response to the Israeli activity.
NNA said that an Israeli unit of 30 soldiers accompanied by police dogs approached the area to inspect a green plastic box, which they suspected to contain explosives.
It soon withdrew from the area after ensuring that it carried no explosives.
The two comments that are currently there are from people who get it. This has been blown out of proportion.
Labels: IDF, Lebanese Armed Forces, UNIFIL
'Cease fire' in Lebanon 'going well'
If any of you are wondering why an 'international peacekeeping force' isn't going to have any role to play between Israel and the 'Palestinians,' consider
the case of Lebanon.
While he did about the best he could given his situation, Michael Williams, the British diplomat working for the UN in this job, said the UN-sponsored ceasefire that ended the Hizballah-Israel war in 2006 is holding up “very well.”
Technically, this is quite true. There hasn’t been a new war or cross-border attacks. But that’s merely because Hizballah has been too busy taking over Lebanon successfully and preparing for the next war. As Williams admits, arms have flowed to Hizballah (from Syria, though he doesn’t say that). Williams only says that Lebanon’s borders are “porous,” a wonderful diplomatic euphemism for state-sponsored arms smuggling. The Gaza Strip’s borders with Egypt, by the way, have become porous in the same way.
Hizballah has also moved back into southern Lebanon–something the UN was supposed to prevent–and rebuilt its system of tunnels and military strongpoints. In five years, the UN force has never interfered with these Hizballah activities–not once.
Imagine if you will how UN and international guarantees would work with a Palestinian state. Would the General Assembly vote to condemn Palestine for breaking its commitments? Would any foreign “peacekeeping” force that was part of a peace treaty ever act forcefully to stop weapons or terrorists from crossing the border into Palestine? Would they fight to stop terrorists from crossing the border from Palestine into Israel?
I think you all know the answer.
Labels: Hezbullah, UN peacekeeping forces, UN Security Council Resolution 1701, UNIFIL
Three UNIFIL troops wounded by roadside bomb
Keep any eye on this. Hezbullah may have decided that they don't want UNIFIL troops in their way anymore. A few more incidents like
this and the countries that supply the troops are likely to cut and run.
A roadside bomb blew up a UN vehicle near the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon on Monday, wounding at least three peacekeepers, Lebanese security and witnesses said.
The nationality of the peacekeepers was not immediately clear.
"It was a roadside bomb that hit a UN troop carrier on a bridge in Sidon. We are still checking what their nationality is," a Lebanese security official said.
A similar attack near Sidon in May wounded six Italian peacekeepers, prompting Italy to look into reducing its peacekeeping contingent in Lebanon.
UNIFIL has about 12,000 troops and naval personnel in the country after its expansion under UN Security Council resolution 1701 that halted the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war in southern Lebanon.
What could go wrong?
UPDATE 8:39 PMIt turns out that it was the
French UNIFIL contingent that was targeted by you-know-who (Hat Tip:
Soccer Dad). What a surprise.
Labels: Hezbullah, roadside bombs, UNIFIL
Stupid Jews don't think before answering survey
Doesn't anyone in this country think before they
answer a survey?
Sixty-four percent of Israelis would support a NATO deployment of peacekeeping troops to the West Bank and Gaza, according to a survey published by the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev on Monday.
The survey, compiled by Sharon Pardo, Jean Monnet Chair in European Studies in the Department of Politics and Government at BGU, found that the level of support for such a move was the same for both Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel.
Pardo’s survey also found 81% of Israelis would support European Union membership for Israel, and that in general, 43% of Israelis want stronger relations with the EU.
Why don't we want NATO troops in Judea, Samaria and Gaza? For starters, consider what happened the last time 'international' troops were deployed in Gaza. Those troops, European troops under an entity called EUBAM, may
still be sitting in Ashkelon to which they
fled when Hamas took over Gaza. For seconds, consider how
UNIFIL and UNDOF performed on the Lebanese and Syrian borders in May. The short answer is that they did nothing to prevent the breach of Israel's borders. Finally, consider the likelihood that any 'peacekeeping' troops become
human shields for 'Palestinian' terrorists.
As far the longing to join the European Union goes, these people are all thinking in terms of increased trade with Europe. That would be nice, but it would come at a price that Israel cannot afford to pay. All European Union countries other than the UK and Ireland have a
unified visa policy that requires each country to admit the others' nationals through something called the Schengen area. This is one of the things that is holding up Turkey's admission to the EU - many of the other European countries fear giving all those Turkish Muslims freedom to roam throughout Europe on Schengen visas. Can you imagine if they could all roam Israel due to that policy? What would the outcome of last week's flytilla have been?
Moreover, not all the countries in the European Union have strong economies like Germany. You've undoubtedly heard that Greece is an economic basket case (a friend who is familiar with the situation there told me that you find out how much taxes you owe and then you go negotiate a number that is far lower than that amount), but Israel Radio reports today that Italy is also on the verge of going in the tank. Israel has a strong economy and a strong currency. Why would we want to throw our lot in with the basket cases of Europe?
Labels: EUBAM Rafah, European Union, NATO, Schengen visa, UNDOF, UNIFIL
Should the IDF release the video?
The Foreign Ministry is said to be furious over a report issued by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon that accuses Israel of using
excessive force against Lebanese attempting to breach Israel's border on Nakba Day, May 15. Seven Lebanese Arabs were killed in the incident.
The secretary general's report, which deals with the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (ending the Second Lebanon War ), was disseminated several days ago to members of the Security Council, and Haaretz received a copy.
The report mainly deals with the Nakba Day incidents.
In its conclusions the secretary general expresses concern about Nakba Day and notes that IDF soldiers "used direct live fire against unarmed demonstrators" who tried to breach the border fence. He called on the Lebanese Army and the IDF to avoid such incidents from recurring.
"I call on the Israel Defense Forces to refrain from responding with live fire in such situations, except where clearly required in immediate self-defense. Notwithstanding every country's inherent right of self defense, there is a need for the Israel Defense Forces always to apply appropriate operational measures, including crowd control measures, which are commensurate to the imminent threat toward their troops and civilians," the report states.
The report notes that some 8,000-10,000 demonstrators participated in the Nakba Day demonstrations in Lebanon, most of them Palestinian refugees. "Organizers included Palestinian and Lebanese organizations, among them Hebollah," the report said.
About 1,000 protesters broke off from the main demonstration, which took place without disorder, and moved toward the border fence with Israel, throwing stones and firebombs, and removing 23 anti-tank mines, the report notes.
"Following a verbal warning and firing into the air, the Israel Defense Forces then directed live fire at the protesters at the fence," according to the report, "killing seven civilians and injuring 111."
The report is based on the investigation findings of UNIFIL, which note that it was the Palestinian demonstrators who initiated the trouble, were first to use violence, and violated UN Security Council Resolution 1701. However, the majority of the report's criticism is directed at the IDF.
"Other than firing initial warning shots, the Israel Defense Forces did not use conventional crowd control methods or any other method than lethal weapons against the demonstrators," the report states.
I had two thoughts when I saw this report. First, what did they want us to do instead? It's not like we could subdue these people in hand-to-hand combat.
Second, I recalled that there is video that shows the
Lebanese Armed Forces shooting at these 'demonstrators.' At the time, the IDF did not want to release the video out of fear that the LAF would take no action the next time such an incident occurs. Perhaps that should now be reconsidered.
Labels: Lebanese Armed Forces, Naqba day, UN Security Council Resolution 1701, UNIFIL
Syria involved in UNIFIL bombing?
Earlier, I reported on a
roadside bomb that wounded six Italian UNIFIL troops in Lebanon. Now it turns out that
Syria may have been involved in that bombing.
Diplomatic sources on Saturday suggested Syria was involved in the roadside bomb Friday that blew up a UN vehicle on a highway leading to the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon, Lebanese daily An Nahar reported.
The sources told An Nahar and other Lebanese media that the the blast came after Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem threatened the European Union that it would regret sanctions imposed on President Bashar Assad and other top Syrian officials.
"I say this measure, just as it will harm Syria's interests, it will harm Europe's interest. And Syria won't remain silent about this measure," Muallem declared last week.
The diplomats hinted that messages communicated to Europe through Muallem's comments and the attack on the UN peacekeepers would only increase.
According to An Nahar, they did not exclude attempts by the Syrian government to create "distractions elsewhere" if it feels threatened.
But why would Assad do that? After all, he's a reformer!
Labels: Bashar al-Assad, European Union, Syrian sanctions, UNIFIL
Roadside bomb in Lebanon hits UNIFIL
Well, this ought to send them back to their cocoons. A roadside bomb in Lebanon
wounded six UNIFIL 'peacekeepers' on Friday.
A roadside bomb struck a United Nations convoy near a southern Lebanese port on Friday, wounding six Italian peacekeepers and a Lebanese passer-by in the first attack on the force in more than three years, Lebanese and Italian officials said.
They said the blast was caused by a homemade bomb placed behind a low concrete barrier lining the highway. The blast damaged two of the four cars in the convoy as it traveled south on the main highway in Sidon. The police said that the bomb, which left a crater in the road, contained up to 25 pounds of explosive material.
...
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the United Nations forces, a longtime presence in southern Lebanon that was reinforced after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite Muslim movement.
And then come the excuses... and of course they indirectly blame Israel.
But Lebanon’s weak government, ineffective military and combustible mix of political and sectarian forces with foreign paymasters has often made it an arena for geopolitical vendettas. Many in Lebanon have been bracing for possible strife amid a 10-week uprising in neighboring Syria. There, international pressure has mounted on President Bashar al-Assad to institute democratic changes.
Mr. La Russa, the defense minister, said that Italian officials “were not too surprised by this terrorist action” given the situation in Lebanon. The country has been without a government since January, when Hezbollah ministers and their allies walked out of the cabinet.
Anger has also risen in the Palestinian camps over the United Nations force’s perceived lack of intervention in preventing Israeli forces from firing on crowds who headed to the Israeli border earlier this month to commemorate the Nakba, or catastrophe, a day that marks for Palestinians the creation of Israel in 1948. Lebanese officials said that Israeli troops killed 10 people on the Lebanese side of the border.
“The incident intersects with what’s happening in the region,” said Rafic Nasrallah, the head of the International Center for Media and Studies in Beirut.
This ought to make them so much more effective. Next time they'll certainly fire on the IDF.
What could go wrong?
UPDATE 11:21 AM (BOSTON TIME)Well what a shock. Italy wants to
cut its troops in UNIFIL by half (Hat Tip:
Challah Hu Akbar via
Twitter).
Labels: Hezbullah, UN Security Council Resolution 1701, UNIFIL
You want who to keep the peace?
Lenny Ben David has a series of pictures that show how Israel's borders with Syria and Lebanon were breached. The picture above - of Lebanese Armed Forces troops making a half-hearted effort to stop Lebanese infiltrators from approaching the border fence - is just one of many. But to me, the key point that needs to be learned on a long-term basis from Sunday's events is
this one:
View the pictures of the UN peacekeeping forces along Israel's border with Lebanon and Syria -- UNIFIL and UNDOF -- trying to stop the incursions and protect the peace. Oh, wait, there are no such pictures because the force mandated to keep peace was nowhere to be seen when Israel's sovereignty and security were under attack. So much for the idea floating around Washington to meet Israel's security demands in a peace agreement with the Palestinians by providing a foreign peacekeeping force on the West Bank.
Indeed.
Read the whole thing.
Labels: Lebanese border breach, Syrian border breach, UNDOF, UNIFIL
UPDATES from the North
Israel Radio reports that UNDOF - which guards the Syrian border - refused to talk to them.
UNIFIL (which is supposed to watch the Lebanese border) mostly disclaimed liability for what's been going on at the Lebanese border, but says the Lebanese Armed Forces are in charge.
Press TV in English reported from the Lebanese border (still trying to find the interview).
Lebanese Armed Forces dispersing demonstration.
Labels: UNDOF, UNIFIL
