- Netanyahu seeks removal of UN peacekeepers from Lebanon
- UNIFIL’s presence obstructs Israel’s southern Lebanon goals
- Experts warn removal limits scrutiny of Israel’s actions
As Israel continues its attacks in southern Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls for the expulsion of UN forces.
Experts believe this is intended to remove international observers who could keep track of Israel’s actions in Lebanon.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has around 10,000 members stationed throughout a territory spanning more than 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) between Lebanon’s de facto southern border and the Litani River.
Since launching a ground incursion into southern Lebanon in early October, Israel has fired on several front-line UNIFIL positions, claiming that its goal is to dismantle the infrastructure of Hezbollah. This Lebanese group has been trading fire with the Israeli army in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Netanyahu demanded that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres remove UNIFIL troops from “combat zones” on Sunday, claiming that their presence was providing a “human shield” for Hezbollah.
However, the UN says the mission, which includes members from 50 nations, will continue. “The UN flag continues to fly,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stated on Sunday.
Excluding observers
A high-ranking diplomatic source, who requested anonymity, stated that UNIFIL’s mandate is part of the international order and that withdrawing it would give Israel “an easy win after its unacceptable behavior.”
UNIFIL was established by the UN in 1978, during the first Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces, maintain peace, and aid the Lebanese government in restoring control.
Israel invaded Lebanon again in 2006, and the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1701, which expanded UNIFIL’s authority to oversee the truce and ensure that no armed force other than the Lebanese army was present in the area, i.e., no Hezbollah or Israeli fighters in the south.
UNIFIL was only supposed to provide a framework for the Lebanese and Israelis to settle their differences and facilitate the establishment of Lebanese army control south of the Litani River, but this never happened, with both Hezbollah and Israel routinely violating the resolution and the army remaining on the sidelines.
The recent Israeli attacks, which UNIFIL claims were purposeful, have been widely criticized as a gross breach of international law.
Shane Darcy, senior lecturer at the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland Galway, stated that removing UNIFIL will make it harder to monitor international law violations as Israel escalates its attacks in southern Lebanon.
Darcy concluded that the removal of independent observers, whether journalists or UN peacekeepers, appears to be a deliberate plan to reduce scrutiny of Israeli forces at a moment when they are most required.
This would be consistent with a trend of exclusion already seen in Gaza, where Israel has killed at least 175 journalists, according to the Palestinian media office, and barred international reporters and UN human rights observers. Israel has also carried out fatal strikes on journalists in Lebanon.
In May, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to allow unhindered access to the Gaza Strip for any commission of inquiry, fact-finding mission, or other investigative body empowered by competent United Nations agencies to probe genocide charges. Israel has not met this demand.
Darcy stated that there have already been horrendous violations of international humanitarian law, and the possibility of more atrocities will only increase if the world’s eyes are purposefully shut.
An ‘impediment’
Israel has disputed charges that it purposefully hurt peacekeepers. Still, the drive for their departure comes as it continues to issue forced evacuation threats to Palestinians in southern Lebanon, akin to warnings for Gaza residents to abandon their homes or risk attack.
Over the last two weeks, the Israeli army has issued such orders for at least 233 villages, which the UN says account for a fourth of Lebanon’s territory.
“If they can get civilians, including peacekeepers, to leave, they can stay for as long as they want until they get the deal they want,” said Rob Geist Pinfold, a lecturer in international peace and security at Durham University.
That might be a political compromise in which Hezbollah withdraws north of the Litani River, Pinfold said, stressing that Israel perceives UNIFIL’s presence as an “impediment” to its advance.
UNIFIL’s presence in a real battle zone implies that the peacekeepers could be accidentally targeted, putting tremendous pressure on Israel to limit or halt its military assault, according to Pinfold.
The International Crisis Group’s UN director, Richard Gowan, stated that Israel has long been “frustrated that UNIFIL has not stopped Hezbollah from establishing strong positions” south of the Litani River.
I expect Israel will argue that UNIFIL should be granted a more robust mandate to combat Hezbollah or that a new non-UN-commanded force be deployed to defend southern Lebanon, Gowan added.
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Addressing reporters in New York on Monday, UN peacekeeping commander Jean-Pierre Lacroix denied that UNIFIL was responsible for the failure to implement Resolution 1701.
“[It] was never its mandate,” he stated, emphasizing that UNIFIL’s role has been “to support” the parties in the execution of the agreement, not to enforce it.
Lacroix noted that it is relevant to our current decision to remain in the position because we all hope for a return to the negotiating table and a genuine attempt to fully execute Resolution 1701.
Following the Israeli attacks, the UN Security Council issued a statement on Monday expressing support for UNIFIL and urging “all parties” to preserve the mission’s safety and security.
The 15-member body stated that UN peacekeepers and UN premises should never be attacked.
