Peacekeepers could face more Israeli reprisals

Photo: Agence France-Presse A United Nations flag flies at the back of one of the armored vehicles of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, in the south of the country, on October 8, 2024.

Mathilde Beaulieu-Lépine

Published at 4:31 p.m.

• Middle East

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Last week, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that five of its members – peacekeepers – were injured in attacks from Israel. An intimidation measure aimed at forcing UNIFIL to leave the area, according to an expert.

“UNIFIL monitors Israel. It acts as a witness for the international community,” explains Yvan Conoir, associate researcher at the Raoul-Dandurand Chair and professor at Science Po Paris. The Hebrew state has an interest in this international surveillance ceasing and aims for the repatriation of the peacekeepers and an end to the UNIFIL mission, the researcher believes. “Its objective is to dissuade UNIFIL from remaining in place.”

According to him, these attacks will not stop anytime soon. The peacekeepers, who work for peacekeeping for the United Nations (UN), could be victims of other attacks carried out on the fringes of the conflict. Despite everything, the UN has assured that its soldiers will remain in their positions. “The United Nations flag continues to fly,” we can read on their website.

The Israeli military has said it was targeting a “threat” in the attacks and did not want to harm UNIFIL personnel. “The accusation that Israel deliberately attacked UNIFIL is completely false,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded in a video. “They have been repeatedly asked to temporarily leave the combat zone,” he said, before reiterating that UNIFIL personnel should now leave the area, as it is “the best way to ensure [their] safety.”

“From now on, UNIFIL will do nothing but try to stay in place,” emphasizes researcher Yvan Conoir. “That is if they are not massacred by Israel,” he specifies.

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Nearly 40 countries have publicly come out in support of the peacekeepers since the attacks. They demand that both parties involved respect the presence of UNIFIL and that the latter guarantee the safety of UN soldiers. UNIFIL has formally accused Israeli troops of repeatedly and deliberately firing on its troops. On the UN webpage, its spokesperson stressed that an attack on UNIFIL troops is contrary to international law and may constitute a war crime.

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Mandates put on hold

Given recent developments, UNIFIL will have only one objective from now on, Conoir believes, and that is to “stay in place.” Its other mandates, while not completely put on hold, will no longer be of primary importance. “The important thing is that they are not dislodged.”

Originally established by the UN Security Council in 1978, UNIFIL previously played the role of intermediary in the conflict between Lebanon and Israel. When it was created, it was mandated “to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, restore international peace and security and assist the Lebanese government in reestablishing its effective authority in the area,” according to the UN website.

Later, it added to its mandate the disarmament of the Lebanese Hezbollah, a militia that has since become an army, formed following the invasion of southern Lebanon by Israel. “That has never been accomplished,” says the French researcher. “The mission is not frozen, but it is not very dynamic either,” he confirms.

The mission's mandate has been adjusted twice since its creation, but the results are not conclusive, judges Mr. Conoir. After the events of 2006, UNIFIL focused its activities in particular on ceasing hostilities in the region, supporting the Lebanese armed forces in their deployment in the south of the country and providing humanitarian assistance. The execution of its original mandate has not yet been successful.

“Let's say that UNIFIL doesn't really have the means to achieve this,” he says. “It's stuck in its objectives.” He also believes that the role of witness for the international community is an even more important part of the operation's activities.

In total, there are more than 10,500 UN peacekeepers deployed in the region. They come from all over the world, including Indonesia, India and France, among others. “It's one of the rare missions that has so many personnel,” says the researcher.