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Fall 2017 JPI

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Blue Line peacekeepers still strive to protect the local population, to ensure the security and mobility<br />

of humanitarian workers and the UN, and to assist LAF in its objective to effectively control the<br />

territory and keep the area free of irregular armed elements. 27 Problems arise with the explosive<br />

situation formed by the direct presence of Hezbollah and the indirect war in Syria, whose volatile<br />

influence aggravates the sectarian tensions in Lebanon and worsens the complexity of the historically<br />

fragile Middle East. It is in the eastern zone of the Blue Line where day-to-day operations of the blue<br />

insignia become increasingly more dangerous. The Shebaa farms, for example, are disputed lands<br />

where the conflicting borders of Israel, Syria, and Lebanon intersect, and the importance of this<br />

contested border must be understood in relation to the uncertainties generated by the incomplete<br />

territory over which Lebanon has full sovereignty. Lebanon’s borders must therefore be restored and<br />

respected, especially because the Shebaa farms continue to be the argument raised by Hezbollah in<br />

order to justify its resistance within Lebanon, and refuse disarmament against the Israeli occupation.<br />

UN RESPONSE TO LEBANON<br />

A proper analysis of the Blue Line in 2006 must also focus on prior UN actions regarding this<br />

issue, in the form of SC resolutions. The UNSC insisted on said actions in the preamble to Resolution<br />

1701 (2006), invoking Resolutions 425 (1978), 426 (1978), and 520 (1982), which supported UN<br />

intervention in Lebanon. 28,29,30,31 The preamble focused on the causes of the conflict’s resumption in<br />

2006, framing them in terms of repeated non-compliance to the previous resolutions. Resolution<br />

1701 was adopted almost a month after the beginning of the armed confrontation to urge parties to<br />

stop hostilities and protect the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River. Resolution 1701 was<br />

also the result of complicated negotiations that led to its unanimous approval within the UNSC 32 and<br />

reflects the intensity of the discussions. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan underlined that Lebanon’s<br />

conflict requires the UN, “to do a lot of work and, unfortunately, much of that work will not be<br />

new.” 33 In fact, some of the demands expressed before the start of the confrontation are not reflected<br />

in it, but it has the acceptance of Lebanon and Israel, which opens a door to the hope that hostilities<br />

will not be resumed. 34<br />

As for the use of force, the mandate of the new UNIFIL II continues to be adopted under<br />

Chapter VI (and not VII as Israel requested), which concerns the peaceful measures that must be<br />

taken to resolve a conflict. However, in paragraph 12 of resolution 1701, UNIFIL II is authorized to<br />

“take all necessary measures,” not only those aimed strictly at self-defense but also those necessary to<br />

ensure compliance of the mission and, under certain conditions, to ensure the protection of civilians<br />

27 “United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Mandate,” United Nations. Approved in 2006. Accessed December 10, <strong>2017</strong>.<br />

https://unifil.unmissions.org/unifil-mandate<br />

28 “Israel-Lebanon” (S/RES/425), United Nations, Approved March 19, 1978. Accessed December 12, <strong>2017</strong>.<br />

http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RES/425(1978)<br />

29 “Middle East” (S/RES/1701), United Nations. Approved August 11, 2006. Accessed December 7, <strong>2017</strong>.<br />

http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RES/1701(2006)<br />

30 “Israel-Lebanon” (S/RES/426), United Nations, Approved March 19, 1978. Accessed December 12, <strong>2017</strong>.<br />

http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RES/425(1978)<br />

31 “Israel-Lebanon” (S/RES/520), United Nations, Approved September 17, 1982. Accessed December 12, <strong>2017</strong>.<br />

http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RES/520(1982)<br />

32 “Letter dated 21 August 2006 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council concerning the reinforcement of<br />

UNIFIL” (S/2006/675), United Nations. Approved August 2006. Accessed December 7, <strong>2017</strong>.<br />

http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2006/675<br />

33 “Middle East” (S/2006/733), United Nations. Approved September 13, 2006. Accessed December 10, <strong>2017</strong>.<br />

http://repository.un.org/bitstream/handle/11176/19298/S_2006_733-EN.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y<br />

34 Ídem, S/2006/733.<br />

<strong>JPI</strong> <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>, pg. 31

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