Expert Explains: What role UNIFIL plays in Lebanon, India’s contribution to it

It noted that breaching a UN presumption and damaging UN assets is simply a “flagrant usurpation of planetary instrumentality and [UN] Security Council solution 1701”, and “it endangers the information and information of our peacekeepers successful usurpation of planetary humanitarian law”.

Israel has demanded that UNIFIL should vacate its positions on the Blue Line, a 120-km-long “line of withdrawal” acceptable by the United Nations successful 2000 on Lebanon’s confederate borderline successful bid to corroborate the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory. UNIFIL has reaffirmed that “despite the unit being exerted connected the mission, peacekeepers stay successful each positions and volition proceed to undertake their mandated tasks”.

First, wherefore are UN peacekeepers contiguous successful Lebanon?

The United Nations Interim Force successful Lebanon (UNIFIL) was established by a solution of the UN Security Council successful 1978, successful effect to Israel’s penetration of confederate Lebanon. Israel had said it was acting to expel equipped Palestinian elements operating from Lebanon.

According to UN Security Council resolutions 425 and 426, adopted successful March 1978, the UNIFIL was established to corroborate the withdrawal of Israeli forces from confederate Lebanon, reconstruct bid and security, and to assistance the Lebanese authorities successful restoring its power and authority.

Southern Lebanon, which shares a borderline with Israel, has been the tract of repeated conflicts betwixt the IDF and Hezbollah. Israel vacated its concern of Southern Lebanon successful 2000, but a caller struggle broke retired successful July 2006. On August 11, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1701, which called for Israel and Lebanon to enactment a imperishable ceasefire and importantly expanded UNIFIL’s mandate.

The solution stated that determination would beryllium nary ammunition and armaments successful Southern Lebanon but those possessed by the Lebanese equipped forces. UNIFIL’s spot was augmented to 15,000 uniformed personnel, and it was assigned duties to assistance the Lebanese forces successful monitoring and supervisory roles, on with providing humanitarian aid.

Are Israel’s actions against planetary law?

Attacks connected UN peacekeepers are successful contravention of planetary law. However, contempt condemnation, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not backed down, and alternatively asked the UNIFIL to “move retired of harm’s way”. In a way, helium is asking them to cease performing the responsibilities fixed to them by the UN Security Council. This is simply a usurpation of the sanctity and the mandate of the UN.

UN peacekeepers person travel nether onslaught successful assorted parts of the satellite successful the past, but these were by non-state actors. Many of Israel’s actions bash not behove the dignity, stature, and obligations of immoderate UN subordinate state. Earlier this month, the Israeli authorities declared UN Secretary General António Guterres persona non grata and barred him from entering the country. Last year, Israel had called for Guterres’ resignation. Respect for the bureau of the Secretary General is simply a portion of the UN Charter. Israel has besides repeatedly attacked the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees successful the Near East (UNRWA), alleging it has links with anti-Israel militant organisations, and called for it to beryllium disbanded. UNRWA has rejected these allegations. More than 220 UNRWA officials person been killed successful Gaza — the highest decease toll successful the past of the UN.

Are Indian troops portion of UNIFIL?

India is 1 of the largest contributors of troops to UNIFIL. Indonesia sends the largest fig of personnel, and India, Italy, and Ghana are among the different large contributors. As of October 20, 2024, India had 903 unit successful UNIFIL, aft Indonesia’s 1,230 and Italy’s 1,043.

India has had a beingness successful UNIFIL since 1998. INDBATT, arsenic the Indian batalion is called, has been renowned for its utmost professionalism, valour, and section outreach. They person besides undertaken immoderate quick-impact projects. For example, successful 1999, INDBATT built a nationalist parkland successful a municipality called Ebel el Saqi successful confederate Lebanon. It has a statue of Mahatma Gandhi and is called the Mahatma Gandhi Park. It was renovated successful 2020. INDBATT besides built a stadium named aft Sardar Patel astatine a colony called Kawkaba.

In addition, INDBATT has helped section communities with IT equipment, diesel generators, etc. Our aesculapian mission, which is simply a constituent of the Indian battalion, has ever been highly sought-after successful the region.

Israel alleges UNIFIL has not done its occupation successful Southern Lebanon, which has forced Israel to destruct Hezbollah itself.

To blasted UNIFIL would not beryllium fair. The mandate of UN peacekeeping missions is not to prosecute successful equipped enactment but successful self-defence. As per UN Security Council Resolution 1701, it is the Lebanese equipped forces who are successful power of that area, with assistance from the UNIFIL. Assistance does not mean that UNIFIL volition instrumentality equipped action.

An important portion of the UNIFIL’s mandate has been to render humanitarian assistance, which it has been discharging admirably. In the look of Israeli hostilities, the UNIFIL has made it wide that it volition not vacate its positions.

As acold arsenic Hezbollah is concerned, its world successful Lebanon is multifaceted and multidimensional. It is besides a governmental and taste unit that enjoys legitimacy successful Lebanon, with Hezbollah and its allies having 62 of the 128 democratically elected seats successful Lebanon’s Parliament. If you were to inquire mean Lebanese astir Hezbollah’s equipped wing, they would astir apt accidental that Hezbollah is the country’s de facto defence force. However, this is not astatine each to accidental that the Lebanese defence forces person abdicated their responsibilities.

So wherever is the Lebanese service successful each of this? Are they warring against Israeli forces?

This is not an Israel-Lebanon war. This is Israel’s aggression successful Lebanon, and Lebanon is successful self-defence mode, repeatedly calling for a ceasefire.

The Lebanese equipped forces are highly professional, but fixed the tempestuous past of the state and the economical troubles it is presently facing, the service does person a terrible assets crunch. It does not person a ample budget, and its exertion and armaments are precise meagre compared with the acold much almighty and technically precocious Israeli military.

Sanjiv Arora, IFS (retd), is Former Secretary of MEA, India’s Ambassador to Lebanon from 2016 to 2019, and to Qatar from 2012 to 2016. He was caput of UN-Political part successful MEA from 2005-2008. Since May 2024, helium has been a subordinate of the Indian National Congress. He spoke to Yashee successful his idiosyncratic capacity