'Powerlessness' characterizes UNIFIL: 'Israel sees it as an extension of Lebanese'
October 14, 2024
Author: BNR Webredactie
Recently, UNIFIL posts and soldiers were suddenly fired upon,
by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). At least four soldiers of the peacekeeping mission were wounded, while many others had to take shelter from the Israeli attacks. Internationally, there is a horrified reaction, but Israel itself does not care about that now that it is demanding that UNIFIL leave the area. "Israel uses the argument that UNIFIL is being used as a kind of human shield for Hezbollah," explains foreign affairs commentator Bernard Hammelburg.
To listen to the radio interview click on the right: 
Below is a brief summary of the report:
Bert Kleine Schaars, a former soldier, was active in Lebanon when the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission had just been set up. He looks back on that situation with mixed feelings compared to the current period. 'We really had the area under control in 1980. If you look now, you see that UNIFIL is sitting there as an observation force, while Israel is demanding that UNIFIL leave, which is painful."
'Israel sees the peacekeeping mission as an extension of the Lebanese'
Bernard Hammelburg, foreign affairs commentator
In the 1980s, Kleine Schaars was in the area to be part of the 'buffer force', as he describes it. In Resolution 1701, the UN Security Council adopted that there should be a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, with the peacekeeping force also being given a greater role in monitoring the truce. At that time, not only Hezbollah was present in the area, Kleine Schaars recalls, but also the Palestinian freedom organization PLO – led by Yasser Arafat – played a role. Arafat and his fighters were around southern Lebanon, but only seven to eight kilometers from the border with Israel. We tried to keep the warring parties apart.'
Looking back, the former soldier describes it as a 'fascinating, but also exciting time'. As a sergeant-fourier, Kleine Schaars had to arrange a lot of organizational arrangements, but also run the patrols to keep the area safe. "It has absolutely enriched my life." The powerlessness he now sees in the situation of UNIFIL is something he also recognizes from his time. He describes how arrested militants, weapons and all, were released when they were taken to their own territory. 'As a result, you might have to intercept them again the following week.' Now, according to him, UNIFIL is even more 'powerless'.
In the meantime, the role of the peacekeeping force has changed slightly, partly due to the war that took place in 2006 between Hezbollah and Israel. However, this is not the first time that UNIFIL's position has come under fire from Israel. For a long time, according to the foreign commentator, Israel has been opposed to the presence of UNIFIL in the area. "Israel sees the peacekeeping mission as an extension of the Lebanese. To a certain extent, you can also say that it is true, because in the area that they have to guard, they have also started doing all kinds of other things. For example, building football fields and buying computers for schools. That's not in the mandate that exists.' Yet 'Hezbollah in particular is the culprit', Hammelburg emphasizes.
'Hezbollah is holding Lebanese people hostage'
"The tragedy is Hezbollah," says the foreign affairs commentator. He cites the words of the former prime minister of Lebanon, Fouad Siniora, who states that the Lebanese people are "held hostage by Hezbollah" and are therefore the main victims of the war between Israel and the terror group. Hammelburg therefore sees the current situation between UNIFIL and Israel as an 'outgrowth of that situation'.
