UNIFIL feels the Syria squeeze

[Originally posted at NOW]

Recent developments, fuelled in part by Syria’s war, have renewed UN peacekeepers’ security concerns.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), established in 1978 with the aim of overseeing the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon and the maintenance of peace along the border thereafter, has perhaps inevitably never had the easiest work environment. Distrusted by both Lebanese militants and the Israeli army – which continued to occupy the south until 2000 – the Force’s troops have for decades been subject to occasional violent attacks from both sides of the Blue Line, incurring just under 300 casualties to date.

Since the 2006 war, when UNIFIL’s mandate became the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, the Force has enjoyed an unprecedented period of calm, with off-duty troops freely mingling with the local population in, for example, the various beach resorts of Tyre. However, recent developments, fuelled in part by the war in neighboring Syria, have put the organization under renewed strain.

First came the 29 July decision by the European Union to designate the so-called “military wing” of Hezbollah as a terror organization, a move which sparked a campaign of criticism and even threats against UNIFIL from various Hezbollah-affiliated circles. Thirteen of UNIFIL’s thirty-seven contributing nations are EU members.

Twelve days later came the news that Turkey would withdraw the vast majority of its UNIFIL contingent, announced one day after two Turkish Airlines pilots were kidnapped on Beirut’s airport road – the second abduction of Turkish citizens in Lebanon in thirteen months. Saturday’s kidnapping is thought to be related to the nine Lebanese hostages held in the Syrian town of Azaz, near the Turkish border, whose families accuse the Turkish government of preventing their relatives’ release. Turkey has since called on all its citizens in Lebanon to leave the country.

UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti asserted to NOW that Turkey’s decision to withdraw 240 of its roughly 300 troops was a routine procedure, unrelated to the recent kidnapping and indeed made prior to it.

“This was something that was discussed in detail last month. We received a cable from New York on 6 August, and we sent [a statement] out then, but most media did not pick it up,” said Tenenti. “This is a constant process, nations have certain troops reducing and others withdraw or increase their participation.” He added that there were no plans at present to replace the Turkish contingent.

However, former UNIFIL spokesperson Timur Goksel, himself a Turkish citizen, told NOW that security concerns were likely central to the decision.

“The main reason, although they haven’t officially announced it, is that Turkish soldiers in UNIFIL are not combat soldiers, they are a technical unit of engineers. And over the past months, because of increasing threats against UNIFIL and the Turks, these soldiers are spending most of their time in security-related functions, instead of doing their [usual] jobs. And they are feeling uncomfortable about this. As I said, these are technicians […] and they’ve done beautiful things for UNIFIL and for the public, building playgrounds and football grounds for children […] but now they worry more about security than doing their jobs.”

“Can you imagine, these soldiers come to Lebanon and leave without seeing Beirut because of security concerns? This is very disturbing. It wasn’t the case [previously], when we used to enable and encourage troops to travel all over Lebanon. Times have changed,” Goksel told NOW.

Which raises the question as to what might be the effects of the EU decision regarding Hezbollah. A report in May cited UNIFIL troops’ frustration at facing increased incidents of harassment and intimidation in the south, usually at the hands of Hezbollah. Following the EU’s announcement last month, media figures close to the Party such as Al-Akhbar editor-in-chief Ibrahim al-Amin – said to be a personal friend of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah – issued thinly-veiled threats of “military” consequences for European members of UNIFIL, whom Amin said were now “operating behind enemy lines.” Similarly, a Hezbollah-affiliated mayor said, “People are not going to accept [UNIFIL troops] living among them and calling them terrorists,” although he denied there would be a violent response.

As far as Tenenti is concerned, such statements are no cause for concern. “There is a difference between rhetoric and reality. On the ground the situation is quiet, it’s calm, the security of our peacekeepers has not changed,” he told NOW.

Goksel largely concurred, though he said there were prospects of further petty harassment from locals.

“UNIFIL is a security asset for Hezbollah, and more than that it serves the people who are Hezbollah’s basic constituency. So Hezbollah is not taking a position against UNIFIL as such, but what UNIFIL countries fear is a possible reaction by local people who might think that if Hezbollah is angry with the EU, we must be angry with them too, and they might modify their attitude. They might be more negative, you might have youngsters blocking convoys and throwing stones and things like this.”

“There is no fear of an official reaction from Hezbollah. I mean if Hezbollah wanted they could make life miserable for UNIFIL, everyone knows that.”

Israel's mysterious wall with Lebanon

[Originally posted at NOW Lebanon]

For the first time in its 64-year history, Israel will build a wall along its northern border with Lebanon, according to recent press releases from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). After a series of tripartite meetings between UNIFIL, the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces, it was announced that a wall will be constructed “to replace the existing Israeli technical fence along the Blue Line near the town of Kfar Kila.” When contacted by NOW Lebanon, UNIFIL spokesman Neeraj Singh declined to give precise details about the wall, but media reports suggest it will be approximately one kilometer in length, five meters high, and equipped with surveillance technology.

NOW Lebanon travelled to Kfar Kila and found no evidence that construction has yet begun. The adjacent Israeli village of Metula, surrounded by Lebanese territory on three sides, continues to be demarcated by the same metal fence that spans the length of the Blue Line, and there was no building equipment to be seen at any point in the vicinity. Moreover, UNIFIL troops stationed at the fence told NOW that they were unaware of any construction activity to date.

Indeed, the larger question appears to be why Israel should build such a wall in the first place. The official reason stated by UNIFIL both in press releases and in conversation with NOW is to “enhance security” and “minimize the scope for sporadic tensions or any misunderstandings that could lead to escalation of the situation” in “this sensitive area.” Former UNIFIL spokesman Timur Goksel agreed, telling NOW that, “This is the weakest point across the fence. It’s very easy to breach this area because it’s in a gully, and therefore not easily observable from Israeli positions.” David Schenker, an expert on Arab-Israeli politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, concurred. “This is obviously a pretty sensitive area [for Israel], being so close to Metula. They’re concerned about infiltration. Also, a wall can prevent direct line-of-sight firing of things like RPGs and mortars.”

On a similar note, in the nearby town of Marjayoun, a journalist, who preferred not be named, introduced NOW to some Hezbollah members. “The Israelis are scared,” said one. “They know that if they provoke us again, we will wipe Israel off the map.” Rhetorical bravado though that doubtless was, it may nevertheless be true that the IDF is seeking to avoid deploying troops wherever possible. As Goksel put it, “A wall can cover the area without the need for posting soldiers. From Israel’s point of view it makes sense.”

However, the area has not in fact been a hazardous or “sensitive” one historically. “In my experience [of 24 years], there were never any attacks there because it’s adjacent to a Lebanese village, so any attack there will make life for the Lebanese very difficult,” Goksel said. “I don’t think anybody has ever thought of doing anything there. Moreover, even if you cross [into Israel] there, you’re not going to come across an Israeli position for a long time, so it doesn’t make sense for anyone to attack from there. What are you going to attack? There’s no target.” Similarly, at the fence in Kfar Kila, NOW spoke to UNIFIL troops and a number of local residents, none of whom said they had ever had security problems in the past.

If not security, then what else may be on Israel’s mind? The journalist Harriet Sherwood of the London Guardian wrote last month that Metula locals “speak of a flourishing drug-smuggling trade along this stretch of the border.” Kfar Kila residents denied this, although it isn’t clear in any case how a wall of merely one kilometer would prevent such a trade if it did exist.

Alternatively, the wall may be part of a wider, more general Israeli initiative to bolster its borders. Much has already been written about its 760 kilometer-long wall in the West Bank (which extends beyond its legally-recognized borders). Much more recently, however, Israel has also commenced construction of a 240 kilometer-long barrier on its Egyptian border. Schenker suggests this trend reflects heightened anxieties in Israel about the broader political transformations in the region. “Israel is building a series of walls, the most prominent one along the border with Egypt, because the Sinai has now basically become ungoverned.”

Finally, some are skeptical that the wall will be built at all. “I know the Israeli mentality very well,” said the journalist in Marjayoun, who lived for many years under Israeli occupation. “If they want to do something, they do it. They don’t tell you about it in advance.”

Whether or not he turns out to be correct, Israel’s objective in constructing the wall will remain a mystery for the time being.

Luna Safwan contributed reporting for this article.