Doc's Talk: FIL Fails to Uphold Mandate to Stop Iran-backed Hezbollah

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

FIL Fails to Uphold Mandate to Stop Iran-backed Hezbollah

The Israel Project

On 4th Anniversary of Israel’s 2006 Defensive War, Hezbollah Amasses Weaponry,Troops on Northern Border

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was originally created in 1978 by UN Security Council resolutions 425 and 426 following the 1978 South Lebanon Conflict. Its original mission included a mandate to restore international peace, confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and ensure the authority of the Lebanese government. Following Israel’s month-long defensive war against Hezbollah in 2006, the UN Security Council approved Resolution 1701 to end the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. The resolution increased the number of forces on the Israel-Lebanon border to 15,000.[1]

Resolution 1701 also strengthened the previous UNIFIL mandate. The peacekeeping force now has wider responsibilities and the authority to:

* Assist the Lebanese government in protecting its borders and preventing the entry of illegal arms and other material;
* Support the Lebanese armed forces in their deployment throughout the south and along the Blue Line (the Israel-Lebanon border);
* Establish coordination of its activities with the Lebanese and Israeli governments;
* Assist in ensuring that humanitarian aid reaches civilian populations and safely return displaced people;
* Establish, together with the Lebanese armed forces, an area between the Litani River and the Blue Line free of armed personnel or weapons other than for those of the Lebanon government or UNIFIL troops deployed in the area.[2]

Hezbollah Rearmament and UNSC Resolution 1701 Violations

Hezbollah has increased its rocket and missile arsenal to at least 40,000 rockets.[3] These include the Iranian Zelzal with a range of up to 186 miles (300km), the Syrian M-600 which has a range of 155 miles (250km) and the Iranian Fateh 110 has a range of 105 miles (170km). These weapons could easily hit major Israeli population centers in Tel Aviv and the Israeli coastal region.[4]

There have also been reports that Syria has delivered medium-range ballistic Scud missiles to Hezbollah, a claim confirmed by the head of the IDF’s Military Intelligence Research Division.[5]

Hezbollah’s Violations of UNSC Resolution 1701

2010

* May 29: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirms that Syria has provided Hezbollah with medium-range Scud ballistic missiles, which are maintained by Hezbollah from a base within Syria.[6]

* May 4: The head of the Israeli army’s Military Intelligence Research Division Brigadier-General Yossi Baidatz states that Iran and Syria are conducting organized arms transfers to Hezbollah which can no longer be classified merely as arms smuggling. Rockets such as the Zelzal, Fateh 110 and M-600, all of which can reach the heavily populated coastal region of Israel, are being transferred by Iran and Syria to Hezbollah.[7]

2009

* Dec. 26: A UNIFIL force uncovers a number of weapons caches just outside a village in southern Lebanon. The caches contained dozens of improvised explosive devices, most likely manufactured in Iran and Syria.[8]

* Nov 5: The Israeli navy interdicts the Francop, a ship found to be carrying 500 tons of weapons destined for Hezbollah via the Syrian port of Latakia.[9]

* Oct. 12: A Hezbollah arms depot located in the house of a Hezbollah operative in the village of Tair Filsay in southern Lebanon explodes, injuring several people. Hezbollah operatives arrive to seal off the scene from UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army and remove remaining weapons and evidence of the explosion. Aerial footage taken by the IDF shows rockets and rocket launchers being removed from the house. [10]

* July 14: A Hezbollah arms depot in the village of Khirbet Silim in southern Lebanon explodes. It appears that the arms cache contained rockets, machine gun ammunition, mortar shells and artillery shells. Following the explosion, Hezbollah forces arrive at the scene, prevent UNIFIL from inspecting the site and clear all traces of the arms depot. The existence of the arms cache in southern Lebanon violates the terms of UNSC Resolution 1701 which stipulates that there should be no armed presence in southern Lebanon other than UNIFIL and the Lebanese army. [11]

* April 13: Suspects tied to a Hezbollah cell in Egypt admit to plotting attacks on Egyptian soil and weapons smuggling activity across the Gaza-Egypt border to Hamas. Several of the suspects had smuggled weapons from Lebanese intermediaries to terrorists in the Gaza Strip.[12]

* Feb. 21: A Katyusha rocket is fired from Lebanon and lands next to a house in northern Israel, injuring three civilians. [13]

* Jan. 14: Palestinian militant groups launch two Katyusha rockets from southern Lebanon into northern Israel, one of which hits an old-age home in Nahariya. [14]

2008

* Nov. 21: Hezbollah holds military exercises south of the Litani River, in violation of UNSC Resolution 1701, which prohibits any Hezbollah activity south of the Litani.[15]

* May 27: Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV reports that Hezbollah conducts a military exercise in an undisclosed location, in which terrorists storm a hill representing an IDF post. Hezbollah members are filmed firing various weapons. The possession of any weapons by Hezbollah is explicitly prohibited by UNSC Resolution 1701.[16]

* Jan. 8: A roadside bomb detonates as a UNIFIL vehicle travels on the coastal highway near the southern Lebanese city of Sidon. Two UNIFIL soldiers are wounded in the attack. The UN Security Council condemns the attack.[17]

* Jan. 8: Two Katyusha rockets are fired at the northern Israeli town of Shlomi. It seems likely Fatah al-Islam or related groups were responsible for the attack. The UN Security Council issues a press statement strongly condemning the rocket attacks.[18]

The Intensifying Iran-Syria Alliance

The Iran-Syria alliance strengthened in 2010, with both countries pledging during a February meeting in Damascus to establish a Middle East "without Zionists."[19]

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at a press conference with Syrian President Bashar al Assad during his visit, "The Americans want to dominate the region but they feel Iran and Syria are preventing that. We tell them that instead of interfering in the region's affairs to pack their things and leave. If the Zionist entity wants to repeats its past errors, its death will be inevitable."[20]

In the meantime, the United States is seeking to repair relations with Damascus, reinstating its U.S. ambassador there after a five-year absence in an effort to encourage Syria "to begin to move away from the relationship with Iran, which is so deeply troubling to the region as well as to the United States," Clinton said.[21]

In June 2010, Syrian Vice President Farouq ash-Shara' met with Ahmadinejad in Tehran, during which the Iranian president said, "Iran and Syria are growing stronger by the day, while our common enemies are in a position of weakness. This is because of the brotherhood which exists between our nations."[22]

[1] "UNIFIL," United Nations Web site, accessed June 25, 2007, http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unifil/mandate.html; “UNIFIL: Facts and Figures,” http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unifil/facts.html. Accessed June 22, 2009

[2] "UNIFIL," United Nations Web site, accessed June 25, 2007, http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unifil/mandate.html

[3] Mcgregor-Wood, Simon, “Scud Missiles to Hezbollah Raising Mideast Tensions,” ABC News, April 13, 2010, http://abcnews.go.com/International/scud-missile-shipment-hezbollah-raises-mideast-tensions/story?id=10361973

[4] Lis, Jonathan; Harel, Amos, “Syria gave advanced M-600 missiles to Hezbollah, defense officials claim,” Haaretz, May 5, 2010, http://www.haaretz.com/news/syria-gave-advanced-m-600-missiles-to-hezbollah-defense-officials-claim-1.288356; Harel, Amos, “Defense officials: Renew diplomatic pressure on Syria as Hezbollah rearms,” Haaretz, July 13, 2008, http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/defense-officials-renew-diplomatic-pressure-on-syria-as-hezbollah-rearms-1.249590; “Netanyahu: Israel Not Planning War with Iran,” al Manar, February 17, 2010, http://www.almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=124886&searchText=hezbollah&language=en

[5] Lis, Jonathan; Harel, Amos, “Syria gave advanced M-600 missiles to Hezbollah, defense officials claim,” Haaretz, May 5, 2010, http://www.haaretz.com/news/syria-gave-advanced-m-600-missiles-to-hezbollah-defense-officials-claim-1.288356

[6] Somfalvi, Attila “Netanyahu: Hezbollah operating Scuds from Syria,” YnetNews, May 29, 2010, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3895828,00.html

[7] Lis, Jonathan; Harel, Amos, “Syria gave advanced M-600 missiles to Hezbollah, defense officials claim,” Haaretz, May 5, 2010, http://www.haaretz.com/news/syria-gave-advanced-m-600-missiles-to-hezbollah-defense-officials-claim-1.288356

[8] “Further Evidence of Hezbollah’s Military Activity,” Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, Jan. 7, 2010, http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/hezbollah_e016.htm;

[9] “500 Tons of Weapons for Hezbollah Intercepted by Israeli Navy, 4 Nov 2009,” Israel Defense Force Spokesperson, November 5, 2009, http://idfspokesperson.com/2009/11/04/500-tons-of-weapons-for-hezbollah-intercepted-by-israeli-navy-4-nov-2009/

[10] “Explosions at Hezbollah arms caches in villages south of the Litani,” Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, Oct. 14, 2009, http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/pdf/hezbollah_e014.pdf

[11] “Explosion in Hezbollah weapons depot in the village of Khirbet Silim,” Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, Aug. 3, 2009, http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/pdf/hezbollah_e012.pdf

[12] Slackman, Michael, “Egypt accuses Hezbollah of plotting attacks and arms smuggling to Gaza,” The New York Times, April 13, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/world/middleeast/14egypt.html

[13] “Israel fires complaint with U.N. over Katyushas,” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Feb. 24, 2009, http://jta.org/news/article/2009/02/24/1003225/israel-fires-complaint-with-un-over-katyushas#When:13:27:00Z

[14] Melman, Yossi, Harei, Amos, “Hezbollah behind Lebanon rocket strikes in north,” Haaretz, Jan. 18, 2009, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1056436.html

[15] Ravid, barak, “Report: Hezbollah carries out military drills in south Lebanon,”, Haaretz, Nov. 22, 2008, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1039872.html

[16] “Hezbollah conducted a military exercise,” Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center, June 5, 2008, http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/hezbollah_0608e.htm

[17] “Irish UN officers wounded in Lebanon blast,”, Agence France-Presse, Jan. 8, 2008, http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iLffTEgyYP2na3GhnDA3W1GG3Q6Q

[18] Raved, Ahiya, “2 Katyushas fired from Lebanon at western Galilee,” YnetNews, Jan. 8, 2008 http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3491611,00.html; “Security Council press statement on Lebanon,” ReliefWeb, Jan. 11, 2008, http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/YSAR-7ARR2W?OpenDocument

[19] Schneider, Howard, “Iran, Syria mock U.S. policy; Ahmadinejad speaks of Israel's 'annihilation',” The Washington Post, Feb. 26, 2010, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/25/AR2010022505089.html

[20] Black, Ian, “Iran and Syria put on show of unity in alliance Clinton finds 'troubling'.” The Guardian, Feb. 25, 2010, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/25/syria-iran-alliance-clinton-america-israel

[21] Black, Ian, “Iran and Syria put on show of unity in alliance Clinton finds 'troubling'.” The Guardian, Feb. 25, 2010, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/25/syria-iran-alliance-clinton-america-israel

[22] “President: Iran, Syria Alliance Scuppers Enemies' Plots,” Irib Radio, June 23, 2010, http://english.irib.ir/news/political/item/62533-president-iran-syria-alliance-scuppers-enemies-plots

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The IDF’s Minorities in Numbers and Pictures

In honor of IDF Diversity Week, we present diversity through numbers and pictures. Each year, more and more Muslims, Christians, Druze, Bedouin and immigrants from around the world take on the responsibility of defending Israel.

MUSLIMS:

Muslim Arab Israelis are not required to draft in the IDF, but there are many who volunteer. In 2013, there were over 200 Muslims serving in the IDF and over 300 in the reserves.

Bedouins:

Bedouins are nomadic Muslims who were in Israel when modern borders were set in place and are now considered Israeli citizens. They are not required to draft but a growing number choose to enlist. In 2012, there were over 1,400 Bedouin Muslim soldiers doing regular IDF service and almost 1,500 in the reserves.

Read more:http://www.idfblog.com/2014/02/27/truth-idf-numbers-pictures/#more-34027

Are you aware that in 2013, Middle class taxes go up-significantly?

In January of next year, the federal income tax rate for middle-class taxpayers is scheduled to rise from 25 percent to 28 percent, and the payroll tax is scheduled to rise from 13.3 percent to 15.3 percent… This drives the marginal tax rate based on the aforementioned three taxes to 48.12 percent. Add in state and local property, corporate, excise, and other state and local taxes, and the percentage of each additional dollar that is taxed hovers around 50 percent… When half of each additional dollar earned is taxed away, taxpayers experience a disincentive to start businesses or expand existing ones. This leads to fewer jobs being created.

Why is HAMAS Inside Tampa Schools?

Clare Lopez

Kelly Miliziano, who teaches history classes at Steinbrenner High School in the Tampa, Florida area apparently thinks it’s perfectly OK to invite a senior official of a HAMAS-affiliated organization into her classroom to discuss Islam with her students. According to local media reports, not only has this been going on for years, but in spite of the civil and criminal proceedings that could result from such reckless negligence, the Hillsborough County school superintendent, Mary Ellen Elia, and the chairman of the school board, Candy Olson, also expressed approval for students under their responsibility to be exposed repeatedly to guest speaker, Hassan Shibly, who is the Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the Tampa area.
More...

Did You Know... Ignoring the Call to Islam will Bring Jihad

‘Conquest through Da’wa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da’wa.’
-- Yousef al-Qaradawi , Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader The Arabic word ‘Da’wa’ means the “call to Islam.” But do not think that Da’wa is the same thing as an invitation to an optional holiday event. The classical Islamic doctrine of jihad mandates that enemies must be given the opportunity to convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax before it is permissible to attack them.
Clare M. Lopez

Who is being discriminated-facts tell the truth

Religious bias

Hate crimes motivated by religious bias accounted for 1,409 offenses reported by law enforcement. A breakdown of the bias motivation of religious-bias offenses showed:

65.4 percent were anti-Jewish.
13.2 percent were anti-Islamic.
9.5 percent were anti-other religion, i.e., those not specified.
4.3 percent were anti-Catholic.
3.8 percent were anti-multiple religions, group.
3.3 percent were anti-Protestant.
0.5 percent were anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2010/narratives/hate-crime-2010-incidents-and-offenses.

On March 31, 1977, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview

with PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. Here's what he said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

In March 1977, Zahir Muhsein, a PLO executive, said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism."

"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

The Arab Apartheid

Ben-Dror Yemini
In 1948, the Arab countries refused to accept the UN partition proposal and they launched a war of annihilation against the State of Israel which had barely been established. All precedents in this matter showed that the party that starts the war - and with a declaration of annihilation, yet - pays a price for it. Between 550,000 and 710,000 Arabs fled because of the war and a larger number of 850,000 Jews were expelled or fled from Arab countries (the "Jewish nakba").
Population exchanges and expulsions were the norm at that time, occurring in dozens of other conflict points and affecting about 52 million people. In all the population exchange precedents that occurred during or at the end of an armed conflict, there was no return of refugees to the previous region, which had turned into a new national state.
Only the Arab states acted completely differently from the rest of the world. Instead of assimilating the refugees, they crushed them despite the fact that they were their coreligionists and members of the Arab nation - instituting a regime of apartheid. So the "nakba" was not caused by the actual dispossession, which had also been experienced by tens of millions of others. The "nakba" is the story of the apartheid, oppression, abuse and denial of rights suffered by the Arab refugees at the hands of the Arab countries. (Maariv)

International Law and Military Operations in Practice - Col. Richard Kemp

"Islamist fighting groups study the international laws of armed conflict carefully and they understand it well. They know that a British or Israeli commander and his men are bound by international law and the rules of engagement that flow from it. They then do their utmost to exploit what they view as one of their enemy's main weaknesses. Their very modus operandi is built on the correct assumption that Western armies will normally abide by the rules, while these insurgents employ a deliberate policy of operating consistently outside international law. "

Lost Historical Moments

What Rabin’s last Knesset speech really said:repudiation of a Palestinian state

Rabin ruled out a fully sovereign Palestinian state :

“We view the permanent solution in the framework of State of Israel which will include most of the area of the Land of Israel as it was under the rule of the British Mandate, and alongside it a Palestinian entity which will be a home to most of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We would like this to be an entity which is less than a state, and which will independently run the lives of the Palestinians under its authority.”

Rabin ruled out a total withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and thus a return to the pre-June 1967 borders :

“The borders of the State of Israel, during the permanent solution, will be beyond the lines which existed before the Six Day War. We will not return to the 4 June 1967 lines.”

Rabin ruled out withdrawing form the Jordan Valley:

“The security border of the State of Israel will be located in the Jordan Valley, in the broadest meaning of that term.”

Rabin ruled out uprooting settlement blocs, like the Gush Katif bloc in Gaza (which was subsequently uprooted by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon):

“The establishment of blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria, like the one in Gush Katif.

AND

Rabin ruled out removing any settlement before coming to a full peace agreement with the Palestinians:

“I want to remind you: we committed ourselves, that is, we came to an agreement, and committed ourselves before the Knesset, not to uproot a single settlement in the framework of the interim agreement, and not to hinder building for natural growth.”

Rabin insisted on Israel retaining full security control of the borders with Egypt and Jordan, contrary to Israel’s relinquishment of the Philadelphia Corridor on the border with Egypt:

“The responsibility for external security along the borders with Egypt and Jordan, as well as control over the airspace above all of the territories and Gaza Strip maritime zone, remains in our hands.”

Correcting Oslo Myths-Part 2

3) Kuttab laments that the post-1993 Oslo process resulted in a Palestinian Authority "whose ministers and legislators are not guaranteed passage between Gaza and the West Bank ...."

Before free passage or other perquisites, PA leaders were obligated, among other things, to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, end anti-Israeli, antisemitic incitement in schools, mosques, and communications media, and resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful negotiations. They met none of these commitments, sometimes bolstering terrorism and greatly increasing incitement.

4) Kuttab complains that under Oslo the PA got "lightly armed police ---- but no real sovereignty over the land or contiguity between our communities in Gaza and the West Bank."

Oslo agreements repeatedly were revised, regardless of Palestinian non-compliance, until the authorized number of police grew from 8,000 to 40,000. Though they were to be the only armed forces in the territories, Israeli estimates early in the second intifada put the number of gunmen - police, "security services," terrorists, and armed gangs - at 85,000. Their armament reportedly included not only heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, but also anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

Sovereignty was to be negotiated in the envisioned 1998 "final status" talks - after a five-year period of confidence-building. Palestinian leadership chronically undermined the process. Palestinian terrorism made the 1993 - 1998 Oslo period more deadly for Israelis than the 15 years preceding it.

The United States doesn't have contiguity between the lower 48 states and Alaska and Hawaii; territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza Strip - that is, through the 20 miles of Israeli territory between them - was never promised and would destroy Israeli contiguity.

5) "Palestinians have been made to endure hundreds of checkpoints in the West Bank, an eight-foot wall deep in our territories, and tight Israeli control over borders."

The security barrier is not "deep in Palestinian territories," but rather encompasses less than 8 percent of Judea and Samaria, and is mostly a fence, rarely a wall; the land in question is not "our [Palestinian] territories" but disputed territory to which, according to the authors of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, Jews as well as Arabs have claims; and there are no international borders, only the 1949 armistice lines with Jordan. Under 242, borders remain to be negotiated. As for checkpoints - like the security barrier and "tight Israeli control" - Palestinian Arabs precipitated these measures themselves. No terrorism and there would be no fence or tight Israeli control and few checkpoints - like before the first intifada.

Correcting Some Oslo Myths

1) In Oslo "Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders promised that ... Palestinian sovereignty would be solidified."

No, they didn't. The 1993 Declaration of Principles and subsequent Oslo agreements outlined a process by which final status negotiations about the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be reached. The process required an end to anti-Israel terrorism and incitement and a commitment to peaceful negotiations. The PA, Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other terrorist groups, sabotaged the process from the start.

2) "The reality is that, in defiance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which states that it is inadmissible to occupy land by force, Palestinian territories are still under foreign military occupation."
Wrong again. Resolution 242 (1967) does note "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war." It also affirms the right of every state in the area "to live in peace with secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." There were no "Palestinian territories." Jordan occupied the West Bank, Egypt controlled Gaza. Israel did not have "secure and recognized boundaries," so retention of some of those territories was possible under 242. Israel is not a "foreign" military occupier in the West Bank but, pending final negotiations, the lawful military administrator as a result of a successful war of self-defense.

Doc's Talk