Middle East

29 SEPTEMBER 2006
PROBE INTO ISRAELI KILLING OF UN MONITORS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHY APPEALS WERE IGNORED

A board of inquiry into an Israeli attack in Lebanon that killed four UN military observers in July had no access to the commanders involved and was therefore unable to determine why the attacks were not halted despite repeated appeals from UN personnel, Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s spokesman said in a statement released on 29 September.

The board, appointed by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations as standard procedure in such circumstances, noted that the Israeli authorities accepted full responsibility for the attack on the UN post at Khiyam and apologised for what they say was an “operational level” mistake.

Click here to read the UN News Centre story and here to read the statement from the spokesperson of the UN Secretary-General.

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14 AUGUST 2006
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION BUT EXPRESSES DISAPPOINTMENT AT DELAY IN REACHING AGREEMENT

After weeks of diplomacy, during which approximately 1,000 people have died as a result of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, the UN Security Council on 11 August unanimously adopted resolution 1701.

The Secretary-General welcomed the resolution but expressed his disappointment that the Security Council had not been able to reach agreement more promptly, stating, "All members of the Council must be aware that this inability to act sooner has badly shaken world's faith in its authority and integrity."

The resolution calls for a full cessation of hostilities; the deployment, by the Lebanese government, of troops throughout southern Lebanon; and the expansion of UNIFIL, the existing UN mission, from its current size of approximately 2,000 troops up to a maximum of 15,000.

The resolution also calls on Israel to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, in parallel with the deployment of UNIFIL and Lebanese forces to the region.

Several countries have indicated their willingness to contribute troops to the expanded UN mission, with France expected to provide the largest contingent.

Resolution 1701, which extends UNIFIL's mandate until August 2007, authorises the mission:

• "to take all necessary action in areas of deployment of its forces and as it deems within its capabilities";
• "to ensure that its area of operations is not utilised for hostile activities of any kind";
• "to resist attempts by forceful means to prevent it from discharging its duties under the mandate of the Security Council"; and
• "to protect United Nations personnel, facilities, installations and equipment, ensure the security and freedom of movement of United Nations personnel [and] humanitarian workers and, without prejudice to the responsibility of the government of Lebanon, protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence".

Following talks with the leaders of Israel and Lebanon, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced, "The cessation of hostilities and the end of the fighting will enter into force on 14 August, at 0500 hours GMT."

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1 AUGUST 2006
UNA-UK LETTER TO FOREIGN SECRETARY
UNA-UK's Chair, Lord Hannay of Chiswick, has again written to UK Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett to express the deepening dismay of the UNA-UK membership at the failure of the international community to take effective action to bring the fighting to an end.

The letter deplores the continued deaths of civilians; the failure of Israel and Hezbollah to agree an immediate ceasefire; and the failure of the Israeli government to agree to Kofi Annan's request for a joint UN-Israeli/international investigation into the killing of the four UN observers (see news story below). Click here to read the letter.

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26 JULY 2006
KOFI ANNAN CONDEMNS "APPARENTLY DELIBERATE" TARGETING OF UN OBSERVERS IN LEBANON

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has expressed shock and deep distress over what he called the "apparently deliberate targeting" by the Israeli Defence Forces of the UNIFIL observer post in southern Lebanon on 25 July 2006 that resulted in the deaths of 4 UN observers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland. "I call on the government of Israel", Mr Annan said, "to conduct a full investigation into this very disturbing incident and demand that any further attack on UN positions and personnel must stop." You can read Kofi Annan's statement in full here.

UNIFIL was created in 1978 to confirm Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, restore international peace and security, and help the Lebanese government restore its effective authority in the area. You can read UNIFIL's press release about the deaths of the UN observers on 25 July by clicking here.

To read a statement about the incident from the Israeli Defence Force click here.

UNA-UK members may wish to write directly to the Embassy of Israel in London (2 Palace Green, Kensington, London W8 4QB) to express their concerns.

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20 JULY 2006
UNA-UK SUPPORTS KOFI ANNAN'S CALL FOR AN END TO FIGHTING AND THE LAYING OF FOUNDATIONS FOR A DURABLE PEACE

On 20 July, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan set out the elements of proposed plan for a political framework aimed at achieving a lasting solution to the conflict.

The Secretary-General's proposals were based on the findings of the mission he sent to the Middle East, which was headed by his Special Adviser Vijay Nambiar.

The elements of the plan are as follows:

• the transfer of the Israeli soldiers whose capture sparked the crisis to Lebanese authorities under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross, with a view to their repatriation
• on the Lebanese side of the Blue Line – as the line of withdrawal is known – an expanded UN peacekeeping force would work to stabilise the situation, working with the Lebanese government to help strengthen its army, deploy it fully throughout the area and establish government sovereignty and control there
• at the same time, the Prime Minister of Lebanon would unequivocally confirm to the Secretary-General and the Security Council that his country will respect the Blue Line in its entirety until agreement on Lebanon’s final international boundaries is reached
• a donor framework would be established to secure funding for reconstruction and development for Lebanon, while a mechanism involving key regional and international actors would be set up to monitor and guarantee the implementation of all aspects of the agreement

The humanitarian situation
The Secretary-General has repeatedly voiced concern that, as humanitarian conditions in the region continue to worsen, the UN is unable to respond with aid. “Israeli operations have made it impossible for UN agencies and their humanitarian partners to reach almost any part of southern Lebanon, even to assess the needs, let alone to deliver the actual assistance needed,” he said.

Inspecting Beirut, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland described the destruction he had witnessed: "It's terrible. I see a lot of children wounded, homeless, suffering. This is a war where civilians pay a disproportionate price in Lebanon and northern Israel...I hadn't believed [Beirut] would be block by block leveled to the ground...a disproportionate response by Israel is a violation of international humanitarian law." Mr Egeland headed to the region as part of his bid to facilitate 'humanitarian corridors' to allow relief aid to reach besieged residents.

Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells, who left the UK for the Lebanon on 21 July, commented on the effects of the Israeli attacks on the civilian population of its northern neighbour, noting “the destruction of the infrastructure [of Lebanon], the deaths of so many children and so many people." He stated, "These haven’t been surgical strikes.”

US and UN: no disagreement over longer-term objectives
Kofi Annan has repeatedly called for an "immediate cessation" of hostilities in the Middle East in order to bring much-needed humanitarian supplies into the area. While this conflicts with the view of the US, which does not support an immediate truce for humanitarian purposes, the Secretary-General stresses that there is longer-term agreement between the US and the UN on a political solution for the region. After meeting Condoleezza Rice in New York, Mr Annan explained: “I think on quite a lot of the broad issues there's very little disagreement between us. Where we may differ is that I'm prepared to ask for immediate cessation of hostilities to allow us to assist the people, allow the diplomacy to take hold, and it does not exclude a longer-term solution and a longer-term package that would ensure that we do not return to the previous situation.” Click here to read more about this story from UN News.

Statement from the Embassy of Israel in London
The Embassy of Israel in London has sent UNA-UK a statement defending the proportionality of Israel’s operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Click here to read this statement in full.

UNA-UK letter to the Foreign Secretary
On 15 July 2006, the UNA-UK Board of Directors agreed on the text of a letter to be sent by UNA-UK's Chair Lord Hannay to the Foreign Secretary expressing dismay at the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. This letter was sent to the Foreign Secretary on Monday, 17 July 2006. To read a copy, click here (pdf format). Since the letter was sent, the situation in the Middle East has worsened. As a consequence Lord Hannay and Sam Daws have appeared on numerous television and radio programmes calling for prompt action by the international community. This has included appearances on Sky News, Radio Scotland, BBC Radio 5 Live, Radio Wales, BBC World TV's Hard Talk programme, BBC 4's the 'World at One' programme and CNN.

On Monday, 17 July Lord Hannay also spoke in a House of Lord's debate about the role of the UN in the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. Click here to read the text of the debate from Hansard.