Don't Let UNIFIL Off The Hook: The UN Still Has Some Explaining To Do!

In What the World Isn’t Being Told about the Israeli-Lebanese Border Incident, Richard Landes writes about questions that remain unanswered.

One of those has to do with UNIFIL itself--which knew very well what Israel was planning to do and, more importantly, where it was planning on doing it:

According to [deputy commander Ilan] Diksteyn, he had personally walked the border with the UNIFIL commander and identified all the trees and shrubs they intended to cut down, all approved of as being located on the Israeli side of the border by the UNIFIL commander. The key tree was some 200 meters from the Blue Line, so there was not the most remote possibility that Israel trespassed on Lebanese territory. The IDF even set out the crane without a man in it, just to demonstrate their intentions beforehand.

Why hasn't the media followed up on the fact that UNIFIL was so thoroughly aware of the situation, and on its implications?


David Frankfurter addresses those implications directly:

It is clear from the photographs and videos issued by international news agencies very quickly after the clash that the incident was prepared for and staged. Photographs and footage was prepared to be sent out within minutes - long before the truth surfaced - leaving an indelible media impression. It is also clear from the photographs that as the scene unfolds, until seconds before the actual firing takes place, the UNIFIL forces were relaxed and at ease with the snipers and RPG gunners taking careful aim at the Israelis. Then something strange happens. A video shown on Israeli TV, taken and directly translated to Hebrew from first footage gives the Lebanese version. From about 5 seconds into the video, UNIFIL soldiers start waving and shouting at the Israelis to “stop”, “stop everything”, “get down” and “go back”. Were they staging a show for the cameras? Given that UNIFIL knew that the IDF was in Israeli territory and that there was no reason for the Lebanese to fire, why did they shout at the Israelis to stop? Wouldn’t it have been their job to uphold UN resolutions and tell the Lebanese to hold their fire?

Here is the video: at no point does UNIFIL ever turn around and make any effort to talk the Lebanese forces out of shooting at Israel--despite the fact that UNIFIL forces knew what Israel was doing in advance and approved it.



Parting question: given the fact that Lebanon has admitted to deliberately shooting an Israeli army commander--and that they could do it again--just what is the UN and UNIFIL going to do about it, and do differently from here on in?

Technorati Tag: Lebanon and UNIFIL.