Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said the UN resolution intended to make UNIFIL more effective and that it pointed to a “last warning” to the Beirut government. He said Israel and the United States would paint in the coming weeks for UNIFIL. capacity in the fight against terrorism. If Hezbollah continued to enjoy impunity to act in opposition to Israel “under the noses of UNIFIL,” he said, Israel would act to protect themselves, the Lebanese government would “bear the consequences” and Israel would reconsider whether UNIFIL deserves to be maintained.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all 15 board members voted by email with a deadline on Friday. Shortly the next, the President of the Security Council, Indonesia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Dian Triansyah Djani, sent a letter to the members of the Security Council, received through the Associated Press, saying that “the draft solution garnered 15 votes in favor of . . . [and] continued as Resolution 2539”.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote to the Council on 29 July recommending a 12-month renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate, stressing the importance of maintaining a giant troop force.
If the solution reduces the troop limit from 15,000 to 13,000, it will not require any relief in the existing peacekeeping force. This is because the current UNIFIL is about 10,250 men, well below the limit.
Craft, the U. S. envoy, called the relay “a” step toward resizing a project that for years has lacked resources due to the limits of its freedom of movement and access. “
UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after a 1978 invasion. The project expanded after a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah so that peace forces can deploy along the Lebanese-Israeli border to help Lebanese troops expand their authority in the south. for the first time in decades.
Israel’s former ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said in May that Israel would insist that peacekeepers have access to all sites, freedom of movement and that every single time they are blocked, the Security Council should be informed without delay.
Craft tweeted at the time that UNIFIL had been “prevented from fulfilling its mandate” and that “Hezbollah was able to arm itself and expand its operations, putting other Lebanese people at risk. “
The solution recognizes that “UNIFIL has effectively fulfilled its mandate since 2006 and has since maintained peace and security”, and the Security Council authorizes the relief of the maximum staff limit from 15,000 to 13,000.
The Council states in the solution that the force strength may be greater in the long term in the event of “a deteriorating security situation”.
According to UNIFIL, it has recently had about 10,250 soldiers, adding more than 9,400 floor staff and more than 850 corps of naval workers assigned to its maritime task force, in addition, the project has approximately 900 civilian employees, both foreign and domestic.
The solution affirms the Security Council’s “continued commitment to UNIFIL’s existing mandate”. And it reaffirms the desire for the Lebanese armed forces to deploy to southern Lebanon and its territorial waters “at an accelerated pace” to put into force a key provision of the mandate.
He called on Secretary-General Guterres to provide the first elements of a PLAN for UNIFIL’s “efficiency and effectiveness” within 60 days.
On the US and Israeli issue, the solution reiterates the Council’s call for the “rapid conclusion” of investigations into all attacks on UNIFIL in order to bring those responsible to justice. And I would ask the Secretary-General “to report to the Council, within a moderate time, when such incidents occur. “
The Times of Israel contributed to this story.