Lebanon decided on Tuesday to file a complaint with the UN Secretary General against Israel’s annexation of the northern part of the village of Ghajar, considered by Beirut to be Lebanese land. This Alawite village was completely cut off from Lebanon after the Israeli army recently built a fence north of the town.
With our correspondent in Beirut, Paul Khalifeh
For Beirut, the annexation by the Israelis of the entire village of Ghajar, in the extreme southeast of Lebanonconstitutes a gross and dangerous violation of UN Resolution 1701, which ended the war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.
Hezbollah on Thursday denounced Israel’s decision to build a wall around the village of Ghajar, which straddles the Israeli-occupied part of the Syrian Golan and Lebanon, calling for action to ” prevent a consolidation of the occupation “. For the Israelis, the construction of the fence around this locality is a response to the installation by Hezbollah of two tents in a neighboring region occupied by Israel, but claimed by Lebanon.
Israel demanded the dismantling of these tents, threatening to use force if Hezbollah did not comply. The Shia party refused to give in to the threats.
Faced with rising tensions, official or secret mediations are underway to avoid a conflagration of this front which has been rather calm for 17 years. The UN force deployed in southern Lebanon is trying to calm things down. French, American diplomacy and other European countries are also working to find a solution.
Ideas are circulating, such as the dismantling of tents in return for a return to status quo in the village of Ghajar. Or again, the handing over of the tents to the Lebanese army.
The position of Hezbollah with regard to the proposals for a settlement of the crisis will be known this Wednesday during an expected speech by the leader of the Shiite party Hassan Nasrallah.