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| Lebanese soldiers stand on the Lebanese side of the border. |
The incident, the most serious since UN resolution 1701 ended the border conflict between Israel and the Lebanese group Hizbullah in 2006, occurred on Aug. 3.
Israel began trimming a tree close to the Blue Line after having notified UNIFIL forces but without waiting for Lebanese consent. Lebanese soldiers opened fire. An Israeli commander, two Lebanese soldiers and a Lebanese journalist were killed in the subsequent exchange of fire.
The investigation currently underway commenced straight after the incident, and is being conducted by UNIFIL forces on the ground.
The Force Commander of UNIFIL, Major-General Alberto Asarta Cuevas, held separate meetings in Beirut with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Aug. 16.
Andrea Tenenti, deputy spokesperson for UNIFIL, told IPS that it was “a very good meeting,” but declined to comment on the content of Asarta’s presentation of the preliminary results of the investigation in the meeting.
“The investigation is ongoing and the results will be given to the parties. We can’t speculate on the results and what it will reveal,” he said.
Alain Le Roy, under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, told reporters in New York a day after the deadly exchange of fire that UNIFIL had determined that the tree in question was located south of the Blue Line on the Israeli side, and that there was no evidence that Hizbullah was involved in any way.
However, some crucial issues remain unresolved, including whether the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) fired a warning shot, and why, with a five-hour window between Israel notifying UNIFIL of its intention to carry out “maintenance work” at the border and the exchange of fire, UNIFIL’s attempts to defuse tension failed.
There were speculative reports in the media that the Lebanese reporter who was killed during the incident was there on invitation to witness the violence.
“We have reason to believe this was planned in advance,” an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson, Avital Leibovich, told reporters shortly after the incident.
UNIFIL’s slow and limited disclosure of the investigation findings highlights the greater challenges faced by the peacekeeping operation in the area.
Tension has long been high with Israeli occupation of Ghajar, in south Lebanon, which violates UN resolution 1701.
Tenenti told IPS that UNIFIL has been working intensely with both sides on the issue.
“The government of Lebanon had informed [UNIFIL] of its readiness to accept the UNIFIL proposal to facilitate the withdrawal of the IDF from the area. UNIFIL is still talking with the Israeli authorities on the modalities, but no date [is set] for the withdrawal has been decided yet,” he said.
“We are hopeful that we will soon reach an understanding on the UNIFIL proposal that will facilitate Israel’s withdrawal from the area,” the deputy spokesperson added.
Another contested issue is the Blue Line separating the two sides, first drawn by the UN in 2000.
The Blue Line did not follow Israel’s security fence in several contested areas, often leading to misunderstandings. Asked about the fence, Le Roy said Israel had unilaterally built it south of the Blue Line, which was a legitimate move.
The as-yet inconclusive investigation into this specific skirmish only serves to highlight the slow progress in combating the grave challenges in the region.
Major General Asarta said that “this tragic incident must remain isolated… No one is interested in an escalation.”
The first step would be to reveal UNIFIL’s findings so that both sides could look beyond this incident and start resolving the issues of border demarcation and the occupation of Ghajar.
UNIFIL has yet to conclude its investigation. The findings will be released to parties concerned only, and it is up to them to make the information public, officials say.
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