Who benefits from UNIFIL's new amendments to its mission in Lebanon?
6 Min Read
An unprecedented UNSC statement is released: UNIFIL does not require "prior authorization or permission from anyone" to conduct missions "independently."
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UNIFIL peacekeepers patrol near the village of Mais Al-Jabal, along the southern Lebanese border with occupied Palestine, August 26, 2020. (AFP)
As UNIFIL announces the renewal of its mandate in Lebanon, the United Nations body consisting of 10,000 military personnel attempts to extend its set of privileges over the population in the South by not requiring "prior authorization or permission from anyone to undertake its mandated tasks, and that it is allowed to conduct its operations independently."
The statement, shockingly and unapologetically, "calls on the parties to guarantee UNIFIL’s freedom of movement, including by allowing announced and unannounced patrols."
The UN body's latest statement arrives against a tense backdrop where confrontation may be at the door between Lebanon and the Israeli occupation over the latter's threat to occupy the Karish gas field, stripping Lebanon of its own maritime territory and right. Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, has vowed that the Lebanese Resistance will target the drilling platform in case a demarcation agreement with the Lebanese government is not reached in addition to enabling Lebanon to explore its own resources.
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UNIFIL has been patrolling South Lebanon since 1978, and was established under UN resolution 425 to "monitor the cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel" as it claims, in addition to supporting "the Lebanese authorities in keeping the area south of the Litani River free of unauthorized armed personnel, weapons, or other related assets."
The latest addition to the UN's mandate raises questions (and eyebrows) on whether UNIFIL not needing prior permission to perform its missions is an Israeli demand that falls within Washington and "Tel Aviv's" attempts to expand the scope of UN missions in the South.
Within this context, Lebanese Brigadier-General Hisham Jaber spoke to Al Mayadeen "UNIFIL's missions have been stipulated since it began its missions in Lebanon, and there have been minor amendments to it that were made by the Security Council - which determines its tasks - not the United Nations or its secretary-general."
Contrary to the UN statement's demands, Jaber stresses that the mandate "needs prior permission if it wants to deviate from the tasks entrusted to it," and that the intention behind this statement can be interpreted by keeping in mind that "Israel" has, for long, "been trying to incite the modification of UNIFIL's missions to make it police its missions, and search for weapons even inside Lebanese neighborhoods and villages."
Jaber pointed out that "UNIFIL has repeatedly tried to enter homes and schools to search for weapons, in deviation from the tasks entrusted to it at the behest of Israel," in an attempt to normalize the situation for the Lebanese, attempting to make searches a regular reality for the population.
UNIFIL has long condoned Israeli violations despite 16 years since Resolution 1701 was passed by the UN Security Council, which calls for the full cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and "Israel." According to Jaber, UNIFIL forces have not been able to detect abt violations from the Lebanese side, but it is trying, through installing cameras and surveillance, to cater to the Israeli desire to register a Lebanese violation of resolution 1701.
He explained that the Lebanese Army's presence in the South is Lebanon's guarantee that UNIFIL will stick to the tasks assigned to it and will not deviate from them. However, its statement calling for 'independence' from Lebanese jurisdiction will most likely serve "Tel Aviv."
Lebanese political commentator and journalist Hassan Olleik warned that such a move would, in fact, jeopardize the very continuation and existence of UNIFIL in South Lebanon. He told Al Mayadeen, "UNIFIL's [top] priority is to secure the stability of its forces, because the closer it comes to playing the role that Israel and the US want for it, the higher the level of tension will be between the UNIFIL and the residents of the South, and this matter puts UNIFIL's leadership, elements, mechanisms and assets at risk."
He added that the "inspection of private property requires permission from the Lebanese Army and judiciary, because UNIFIL's mission cannot bypass Lebanese law, and for this reason, the Lebanese authorities treated this amendment with some indifference."
UNSC Resolution 1701, which was passed after the 2006 war, entails monitoring the cessation of hostilities, monitoring the deployment of the Lebanese army along the Blue Line, and Israeli withdrawal from the South, in addition to ensuring that the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River is free of any armed manifestations. The resolution also assists the Lebanese government, at its request, in securing its borders and crossings to prevent the entry of any weapons without its consent.
See more: The Israeli crimes against Lebanon in 2006
Modifying the missions of UNIFIL has always been a demand by the US and "Israel" that has been translated into several attempts in recent years within the Security Council to push for the expansion of these missions to include all of the South, allowing it to monitor any movements that could be a prelude to some security or military action on the borders. Attempts have also been made to expand these missions to include the Lebanese-Syrian border.
These attempts clashed with the opposition of major countries, including France and Russia, and mainly to a categorical Lebanese rejection at the official and popular levels as well. The area north and south of the Litani has witnessed many problems between the people and UNIFIL soldiers, in refusal of the international forces' attempts to change their rules of operation on their own.
