Feature: Endless means of “Israeli” violations against Lebanon

According to the UN Secretary-General, in his report to the Security Council on 28 June 2007 (paragraph 16):

"UNIFIL has reported a significant increase in "Israeli" air violations, through jet and unmanned aerial vehicle over-flights of Lebanese territory. These violations occur on an almost daily basis, frequently numbering between 15 and 20 over-flights, and even reaching 32, in a single day." [4]

However, the Secretary-General's reports are strangely reticent about the full extent of "Israel's" violations of Lebanese sovereignty, which are obviously recorded by UNIFIL. These are not reproduced in any of his reports. However, an article in Ali Atwi of Al Akhbar, a prominent Lebanese newspaper, on 22 August 2007 gave the following figures:

"The statements issued by the Lebanese army show that the number of "Israeli" land, sea, and aerial violations of Lebanese borders from 15/8/2006 and until 30/6/2007 reached 939 violations distributed as follows: 737 aerial violations, 58 sea violations, and 146 land violations."

The Secretary-General went so far as to say that "Israeli over-flights ... constitute repeated violations" of 1701 and other Security Council resolutions". He was not so rude as to point out that there is no excuse in the UN Charter or in resolution 1701 for "Israel" violating the sovereignty of Lebanon or any other neighboring state.

Surprisingly, the Security Council applied a mild slap on the wrist to "Israel" for its over-flights in a statement by the President of the Council approved unanimously by the Council on 3 August 2007. In the statement, the Council expressed "deep concern at the increase in "Israeli" violations of Lebanese air space and appeals to all parties concerned to respect the cessation of hostilities and the Blue Line in its entirety."

The US voted for this Presidential statement, which is strange since it normally uses its veto power to prevent the Council applying the merest smidgen of criticism to "Israel". And doubly strange, since the US could stop "Israel" engaging in these over-flights if it wished to do so.

Besides, "Israel" also violates resolution 1701 (paragraph 8) since it refuses to hand over the UN remaining maps of landmines in Lebanon which are in "Israel's" possession. Here, the resolution was referring to munitions left by "Israel" on its previous visits to Lebanon prior to its withdrawal in 2000. "Israel" did eventually hand over some relevant maps - the Secretary-General's third report of 14 March 2007 (paragraph 39) acknowledges "receipt of "Israeli" maps of mines laid until the withdrawal of the "Israeli" army from southern Lebanon in 2000" but whether the maps were comprehensive is another matter.

The much greater problem is the unexploded "Israeli" ordinance from the 2006 war, in particular, the vast amount of cluster bombs deposited by "Israel" in south Lebanon in the last few days of the war. This action was carried out with the malicious intention of killing and maiming people returning to their homes after the war, and render large areas of land in southern Lebanon uncultivable. In that respect, it has been successful: the Secretary-General's fourth report of 28 June 2007 states (paragraph 44):

"While there has been a decrease in the number of casualty figures in recent months, there have been 22 additional incidents among civilians since my previous report [in March 2007], with one person killed and 21 injured. Since the cessation of hostilities came into effect, a total of 203 civilians have been injured (180) or killed (23) as a result of cluster munitions."

How many cluster bombs were dropped on Lebanese soil? Only "Israel" knows that, but it refuses to say how many or where, despite many requests from the UN - understandably so, since it wants to have as many Lebanese civilians as possible killed or maimed. The Secretary-General's fourth report of 28 June 2007 states (paragraph 44):

"I regret to have to report that, despite a number of attempts by United Nations senior officials to obtain information regarding the firing data of cluster munitions utilized during the conflict in the second quarter of 2006, "Israel" has yet to provide that critical data. I call on the Government of "Israel" once again to provide the information to the United Nations." [4]

This prompted another mild slap on the wrist from the Security Council in its Presidential statement of 3 August 2007, in which the Council expressed more deep concern, this time.

Accordingly," At the presence of unexploded ordnance in south Lebanon and renews its support for the Secretary-General's request to "Israel" to provide to the United Nations detailed data on its use of cluster munitions in southern Lebanon."
Kim Howells told the Foreign Affairs Select Committee in written evidence (see its report Global Security: The Middle East [8], Ev 125):

"We have no clear figures for the number of cluster munitions "Israel" dropped on Lebanon. However, drawing on "Israeli" media reports, UNMACC [UN Mine Action Coordination Centre] estimate that "Israel" dropped in the region of 4 million cluster bombs on Lebanon during last year's conflict from artillery projectiles. This does not take into account cluster bombs dropped via aerial delivery."

Most of those used were of the "dumb" variety, and the UN estimates that 1 million unexploded devices have to be dealt with.

In southern Lebanon, clean-up of the estimated 1 million unexploded cluster munitions continues. An additional 50 new cluster bomb-strike locations have been identified by the UNMACC-South Lebanon. As of 31 May 2007, 904 cluster bomblet strike locations have been recorded, contaminating an area of up to 36.6 million square meters.

Moreover, The Sheba'a farms area is a small sliver of land occupied by "Israel". It borders on the Golan Heights, which is Syrian territory occupied by "Israel" in 1967 and later annexed. Lebanon has consistently stressed that the Sheba'a farms area is Lebanese territory and that "Israel's" continued occupation of it means that "Israel" still hasn't fully withdrawn from Lebanon. 

There have been persistent reports that the Sheba'a farms area is Lebanese territory, as The United Nations has transmitted messages to "Israel" that the organization's mapping experts have determined that the controversial Sheba'a Farms ... near the Lebanese border, now controlled by "Israel", is Lebanese territory. ... Therefore, the UN has said there is no reason for "Israel" not to relinquish control over the area." 

The "Israeli" violations extends to intelligence activities - recruiting spies, and border infiltrations by commando teams which constitute violations of 1701 UN resolution.

Lebanon has filed a litany of complaints against "Israel" over a series of incidents in the past year that saw more than 70 Lebanese citizens accused of spying for "Israel", multiple confirmed and suspected violations of Lebanese territory by the "Israeli" military, as well as a series of explosions in south Lebanon that included self-destructing eavesdropping devices.

In a related development, "Israel" has refused to yield to a UN call for clarifications on planting "listening devices" in southern Lebanon, boasting that intelligence gathering on its northern neighbour will persist. 

"Israeli" violations against Lebanon are an obvious defiance to international laws as well as UN resolutions. Lebanon responds to "Israeli" violations by filing complaints to the UN, yet "Israel" turns a blind eye and continues its violations.