Israel Matzav

Israel files complaint with UN

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gabriela Shalev, has filed a complaint with the United Nations over Hezbullah's violations of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War. The complaint was filed in light of Monday night's explosion (pictured) at a Hezbullah ammunition dump that was maintained in a home just outside the Lebanese city of Tyre.

The compliant referred to Monday evening's explosion at the home of a Hezbollah operative in south Lebanon, which according to Israel proved the Shiite group was illegally storing weapons south of the Litani River in violation of the UN resolution. Shalev mentioned another explosion which took place at a Hezbollah arms cache three months ago.

"In the aftermath of the explosion, Hizbullah operatives sealed off the area and, according to reliable information, used two trucks to remove evidence from the scene to a nearby village three kilometers from Tyre Filsi," Shalev wrote in the complaint letter.

The ambassador said Hezbollah was using residents of villages in south Lebanon as human shields.

"The aforementioned incidents leave no doubt regarding Hizbullah’s modus operandi to place its military weapons and facilities in civilian villages and houses. Such use of civilians as human shields endangers their safety," Shalev wrote.

...

Shalev said in the complaint that elements in the Lebanese army were purposely ignoring the rebuilding of Hezbollah's infrastructure, adding that Israel considers the Lebanese government responsible for any incident that occurs in its territory and therefore expects it to take necessary measures to prevent Hezbollah's rearmament in south Lebanon.

The ambassador demanded that UNIFIL forces stationed in south Lebanon launch an investigation into Monday's blast and called on the Security Council to address Hezbollah's rearmament when it convenes at the end of the month to discuss the implementation of Resolution 1701.

Shalev urged the Security Council to disarm Hezbollah and enforce the weapons embargo on Lebanon.

It's good that Shalev mentioned the Lebanese army in her letter. You see, it's a funny thing about UN resolutions, but they only bind member states. Hezbullah isn't a member state so it isn't bound by 1701.

On the other hand, there's not a whole lot to discuss with UNIFIL either. 1701 says that UNIFIL can't go anywhere unless the Lebanese army asks it to go there. So UNIFIL has no authority to go into the Lebanese villages and put a stop to their being used as ammunition dumps even if it was inclined to do so (which it is not).

That was clear to anyone who read and understood Resolution 1701 back in 2006. Unfortunately, then foreign minister Tzipi Livni did not understand what Resolution 1701 said. We've been paying the price ever since.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:31 PM