Violence brings UNIFIL to the fore

Translated by Andrea Solazzo

With the spread of war in the Middle East and the beginning of military operations by Israel on Lebanese soil, among the many incidents of violence that have taken place some have also involved members of the UN mission UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon).

A series of violations by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), against members of the mission, have, in fact, aroused astonishment and outrage, particularly because of the manner and repeated attempts that soon made it clear that the episodes are not simply isolated incidents, but rather warnings. Actions that, almost naturally, followed the words expressed by Israeli President Netanyahu, urging the UN interposition forces to abandon their positions, with a view to large-scale operations in the area.

Reportedly, at the moment the threat appears to have been rejected both by the UN, on which the operation directly depends, and by several Western leaders, whose troops make up the contingent of peacekeepers engaged in the area.

However, the incidents in recent days have raised not only a stir but also many questions about a vital mission in the area that has been active for many years but apparently forgotten by many.

Created in March 1978, for 46 years now, the mission has been operating in Lebanese territory with the main prerogatives of stabilizing the southern area of the country, as well as providing protection to civilians and coordination of humanitarian aid, in order to promote the development of the area.

A contribution, however, that has changed over time since the late 1970s, when the main objective was precisely to provide operational support to the Lebanese government in order to restore sovereignty in the area occupied by Israel during the 1978-82 conflict. Also because of the contingencies that came with the outbreak of war in the summer of 2006, which led to a new invasion of Lebanon, the prerogatives in the mission have evolved.

In fact, from this very episode, thanks to UN Resolution 1701 of 2006, the Security Council invested UNIFIL with new prerogatives, extending its tasks and functions: one of them being the creation of a buffer between the Litani River and the so-called “Blue Line,” which replaces, in the absence of a formal agreement between the countries, the establishment of a border line. The same resolution also planned an increase in manpower, from 2,000 to about 15,000 men.

Relative to this aspect, it is necessary to remember that the primary role of the mission is to help the Lebanese government, aimed primarily at reaching a permanent cease-fire agreement, including and especially through support in the deployment of the regular Lebanese army in the area, to maintain its control. But it is also necessary to recall how Resolution 1071, along the lines of Resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), does indeed call for the disarmament of armed groups in the area, but does not invest the UNIFIL contingent with pursuing this goal, relegating its action to operational support of the Lebanese army alone.

Thus, there are numerous insights that could be grasped in this regard about the mission and its operations in recent years, but without ever falling into prejudice and especially without forgetting the contribution UNIFIL has made on the humanitarian level.

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