IW.341.VIKING BOER – ISRAEL WATCH – THE BLUE LINE DISPUTE

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IW.341.VIKING BOER – ISRAEL WATCH – THE BLUE LINE DISPUTE

The blue line dispute

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When Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000 the UN
separated the two countries by a thin blue line.
But border disputes and enmity keep tensions high.
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Lebanon: Living on the Blue Line

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I was tending the goats with my brother, sister, and
cousin,” says Mohammed Abedelaal, the son of a
southern Lebanese farmer. “They crossed first,
but it exploded when I did. I stepped on a cluster bomb.
I lost this leg. And this leg was…”

Mohammed and thousands like him are victims of the
tension between Lebanon and Israel that has often
made the border area a battleground of invasion,
occupation and territorial disputes.

When Israel pulled out of southern Lebanon in May 2000,
the United Nations created the “Blue Line”,
or “Line of Withdrawal”, to establish that Israel
had withdrawn fully from Lebanese territory.
As with many artificial borders between countries,
The line not only cuts through some Lebanese villages,
It also created areas that have become hotly disputed
between the two countries.

One such area is the Shebaa Farms, a slice of land at
the eastern end of the Blue Line near the Golan Heights,
themselves occupied by Israel since 1967.
Lebanon lays claim to the Shebaa Farms, but the UN ruled
that they belong to Syria, and Israel says it will only withdraw
from the area through future negotiations with Syria.

The Shebaa Farms story goes back to the 1967 war when
Israel invaded the West Bank, Sinai, and the Golan Heights,
including the Farms. A decade later, Israel invaded the southern
Lebanon in 1978 and again in 1982 to combat Palestinian
presence there.

When the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) left Beirut
for Tunisia after the 1982 invasion, Israel retreated –
but remained in the South through its proxy, the South
Lebanon Army.

Israel’s withdrawal in 2000 did not include pulling out of the
Shebaa Farms, to the anger of Lebanese MP Qassim Hashim
who accuses Israel of frequent violations of the Blue Line.

“The Israeli enemy flagrantly breached the gate of Abbasiyeh
in the occupied area,” says Hashim. “They advanced and
erected barbed wire in this area … Since 2000, this enemy
has always been trying to create a new reality,” he said.

“Their aim is to occupy more land. One way or another.
We decided, with the people of Abbasiyeh, El Wazzani
and the Arkoub villages with our strong will, and by our
hands, to remove this fence ourselves since the United
Nations didn’t respond to our demands.”

The Shebaa Farms are one of the disputed areas along
the Blue Line, claimed by both Israel and Lebanon.
[Reuters/Alistair Lyon]
The Abbasiyeh Gate protest led to a tense stand-off
involving the Lebanese military, UNIFIL peacekeepers, and Israeli soldiers behind the fence. Eventually, all sides
backed off.

The Blue Line is patrolled by UNIFIL – a so-called ‘interim’
the peace-keeping force that has been there since 1978 –
but this has not stopped what Hashim alleges is Israeli
encroachment onto Lebanese land, like the re-occupation
of the northern half of the village of Ghajar, in violation of
UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

In 2006, a full-scale war broke out between Israel and
the Lebanese armed group, Hezbollah. Around 1,200
Lebanese were killed, mainly civilians, as were some
160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. The 33-day war ended
inconclusively but left a lasting legacy.
Towns and villages were devastated by local infrastructure
damaged and communities, families, and relationships
badly fractured.

As part of the reconstruction effort, some Lebanese
ex-pats and local residents began a concerted effort to
build sizable properties, as a way of imposing their
presence on the border area.

“Those without weapons saw reconstruction as a form
of resistance,” explains Mohammed Alsayed, owner of
a house near the border with Israel.
The reconstruction started after the July [2006] war.
After the destruction, you’d think people would build
small houses with just a room, kitchen, and a bathroom.”

Instead, they’ve built ostentatious homes; and with the
the help of investors, economic development has begun
along the Blue Line.

“Tourism in a place of danger means defiance and
resistance,” according to Zahra Abdallah, owner of
El Wazzani Tourist Village, a project designed to
promote the area as well as create jobs.

“At the same time, it means love for life and freedom.
It means peaceful resistance. We wanted to fulfill the
dream of our family…We want to use the last grain of
sand on our land. This is our right,” says Abdallah.

This regional border tension shows no sign of abating;
In fact, in December 2017, it increased when Israel
announced it planned to build a wall along the whole
of the Blue Line.
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Will Israel and Lebanon resolve their maritime border dispute?

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Rewind From – Oct 2, 2022 #Israel #Lebanon
A long-running dispute between Israel and Lebanon
may soon be resolved.
Both countries lay claim to the same stretch of ocean
in the eastern Mediterranean, which could contain lucrative
gas deposits.
A US mediator has sent a proposal to both countries to
demarcate their border.
Lebanon’s government and Hezbollah have welcomed
the offer.
Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid also supports the deal,
but former PM Benjamin Netanyahu called it an ‘illegal
hijacking’ of Israeli territory.

So what is at stake here?
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Inside Story – Blue Line tensions

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Trouble is brewing at the Israel-Lebanon border. At least five people were killed and several others wounded. The Lebanese army has confirmed that it opened fire on Israeli forces for reportedly crossing the border fence and cutting trees in its territory. So, in this tense situation in a highly volatile region, could a new war be averted?

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