Violence in the Middle East continues apace: the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, has warned Israel to speed up its withdrawal from the south of the country. This appeal comes in the wake of alleged Israeli breaches of truce deal with Iran-backed Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, following U.S.-mediated ceasefire deal that was brokered.
The cessation of hostilities signed on November 27, means an attempt to put an end to more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Initiated by the United States, the 60-day ceasefire, agreed as the only means of achieving a permanent cease-fire and leading toward the peace, required setting Israel withdrawal in stages in line with the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701. This resolution originally put an end to the major confrontation between the two in 2006 and its complete fulfillment is still an critical goal for the international peacekeepers and the foreign policy players.
This truce, though, contains provisions that would require Hezbollah forces to pull back from their southern headquarters and operate only north of the Litani River, an imaginary line some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border of Israel. In like manner, the agreement also requires disengagement by the Israelis from south Lebanon, an area whose security can only be provided by the Lebanese government and by the United Nations Peace Keeping Forces.
In an assertive manner, UNIFIL pointed out issues with reference to the continuing Israeli military presence; constant shelling and devastation of residential areas, farmlands and lives in the region. A peacekeeping force says that they include any activities that degrade the UN 1701 and hence threaten to vitiate the process of a sustainable peace process.
UNIFIL remains actively calling for the prompt removal of the Israel Defense Forces and the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon, in conjunction with the total application of Resolution 1701 as a comprehensive strategy for peace,” the readout emphasized, bringing pressure on the Israeli government to make good its legal obligations of managing the region.
The Israeli military has acknowledged UNIFIL’s concerns, stating that the criticism is under review, but has refrained from offering further comments at this time. Until now, the situation is under a careful observation by international observers because of the complex past experience of Israel-Hezbollah encounters.
The Lebanese army has announced its capability in monitoring the scene, coordination with UNIFIL and the committee with charge of the truce. The army voiced allegations of what it describes as deeper incursions of Israeli forces into specific southern Lebanese areas, a situation that compounds the precarious security environment.
While the United Nations Force Intervention Brigade, UNIFIL, is renewed to oversee the area south of the Litani River with the obligation to keep it demilitarized save for sanctioned entities, the international community continues to remain on guard. This surveillance plays an important role in sustaining the fragile stability as envisioned by the ceasefire accord, namely, as a way of dissuading isolated unilateral escalations that threaten regional peace and security.
With the ceasefire, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah ceases to be the deadliest confrontation since their 2006 war which was marked by a violent six-week assault. Yet, even in the wake of the end of this specific war, Israel is still engaged in military action against Palestinian radicals in Gaza, and this contradicts a wider context of instability and the challenges of peace-making.
With the approaching deadline for the 60-day withdrawal window, everyone’s attention is on what the next steps will be from the stakeholders. UNIFIL’s appeal to respect the provisions of the ceasefire and Resolution 1701 highlights wider international aspiration for a peaceful resolution in this de facto long-standing volatile area. All of the world is watching to find out if the existing diplomatic trajectories will culminate in durable solutions or even generate future conflict.
