Washington (AP) – The future of United Nations Peacers in Lebanon Peace Divided the United States and its European allies, raising implications for security in the Middle East and becoming the last problem to VEX Relations between the United States and key partners Like France, Great Britain and Italy.
In question is the peacekeeping operation known as unifilwhose mandate expires at the end of August and will have to be renewed by the United Nations Security Council to continue. It was created to supervise the withdrawal of Israeli troops in southern Lebanon after the invasion of Israel in 1978, and its mission was extended after the War of 2006 between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.
The multinational force plays an important role in monitoring the security situation in the south of Lebanon for decades, especially during the War of Israel-Hezbollah Last year, but aroused criticism from both sides and many American legislators, some of whom are now occupying important roles in the administration of President Donald Trump or exerted a new influence in the White House.
Trump administration the politicians have come into office this year in order to Stop unifil as soon as possible. They consider the operation as a waste of ineffective silver which only delays the objective of Eliminate the influence of Hezbollah And restore total security control to the Lebanese armed forces that the government says that it is not yet able to do.
After obtaining major reductions in American peacekeeping for the peacekeeping force, Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the start of last week on a plan that would end and end Unifil over the next six months, according to Trump administration officials and the collaborators of the Congress Familier with the discussions.
This is another step like the Trump administration Radically supported his foreign affairs priorities and the budget, in particular the expression of skepticism of international alliances and Cut financing the United Nations agencies and missions. The transatlantic fracture was also obvious on questions ranging from The War of Israel against Hamas in Gaza And Russia-Ukraine’s conflict to trade, technology and freedom of expression.
Europeans postpone against a rapid end for United Nations peacekeeping in Lebanon
Israel has for years the end of Unifil’s mandate, and renewal votes have often come after weeks of political quarrels. Now, the issues are particularly high after last year’s war and a more vigorous opposition in Washington.
European nations, notably France and Italy, have opposed the liquidation of Unifil. With the support of Tom Barrack, American ambassador to Turkey and sent to Lebanon, they succeeded in putting pressure on Rubio and others to support a one -year extension of the peacekeeping mandate followed by an end of a derivation of the six -month period, according to administration officials and the collaborators of the Congress, who spoke subject to anonymity to discuss private educational negotiations.
Israel also reluctantly accepted an extension, they said.
The European argument was that the end prematurely unifil before the Lebanese army was entirely able to secure the border area empty that Hezbollah could easily exploit.
The French noted that when a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali was dismissed before government troops were ready to face security threats, Islamic extremists moved.
With the United States which is unleashed, the question before the United Nations vote expected at the end of August seems to be a resistance from France and others to establish a firm deadline for the operation to end after the extension of one year, according to the officials and the aids of the Congress.
French officials did not respond to requests for comments.
The final resolution of the French project, obtained by the Associated Press, does not include a date for the withdrawal of Unifil, which, according to US officials, is required for their support. Instead, he would extend the peacekeeping mission for a year and indicates “the intention of the UN Security Council to work on withdrawal”.
But even if the mandate is renewed, the peacekeeping mission could be reduced for financial reasons, the United Nations system is probably confronted with drastic budget cuts, said a UN official, who was not authorized to comment on the media and spoke under the cover of anonymity.
One of the US officials said that an option envisaged was to reduce Unifil figures while increasing its technological means to monitor the situation on the ground.
The peacekeeping force has been faced with criticism
There are about 10,000 peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, while the Lebanese army has around 6,000 soldiers, a number which should increase to 10,000.
Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon frequently accused the mission of the United Nations collusion with Israel and sometimes attacked peacers in patrol. Israel, on the other hand, accused the peacekeepers of having looked at Hezbollah’s military activities in southern Lebanon and put pressure for its end.
Sarit Zehavi, former Israeli analyst of military intelligence and founder of the Israeli reflection group Alma Research and Education Center, said that Unifil had played a “prejudicial role with regard to the mission of disarming Hezbollah in southern Lebanon”.
She underlined the discovery of Hezbollah’s tunnels and weapons covers near Unifil installations during and after the Israel-Hezbollah war from last year, when a large part of the high management of the militant group was killed and a large part of its destroyed Arsenal. Hezbollah is now under increase in pressure to abandon the rest of its weapons.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said UNIFIL continues to discover unauthorized weapons, including rocket launchers, mortar rounds and bombs fuses, this week, which he reported to the Lebanese army.
Under the ceasefire of the United States and France, Israel and Hezbollah had to withdraw from southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army taking control of conjunction with Unifil. Israel continued to occupy five strategic points on the Lebanese side and to make almost daily air strikes which, according to him, aim to prevent Hezbollah from gathering.
Lebanon supports the maintenance of the United Nations peacekeeping
Lebanese officials called Unifil to stay, claiming that the army short of money and overloaded from the country is not yet able to patrol in itself until it is.
The Lebanese retired army, General Khalil Helou, said that if Unifil’s mandate was to end abruptly, soldiers should be distant from the porous border with Syria, where smuggling is widespread, or other areas inside Lebanon – “and this could have consequences for stability”.
Unifil “perhaps does not realize 100% what the Western powers or Israel want. But for Lebanon, their presence is important, “he said.
The United Nations also calls peacekeepers essential to regional stability, said Dujarric.
Unifil spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said that the decision to renew the mandate is the prerogative of the United Nations Security Council.
“We are here to help the parties implement the mission’s mandate and await the final decision,” he said.
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The writer Associated Press Edith M. LEDERER at the United Nations contributed to this report.
