Israel to withdraw from Lebanese border village

Israel to withdraw from Lebanese border village

2010-11-17 21:36:54 GMT+7 (ICT)

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (BNO NEWS) -- The Israeli Security Cabinet on Wednesday approved the withdrawing of the Israel Defense Force from a northern village located in Ghajar, which borders Lebanon.

Cabinet ministers voted in favor of the decision, which will additionally be transferring the Arab village's security measures to the United Nations (UN), although a specific date has not been set.

However, Ghajar residents have expressed opposition to the decision. Around 400 people protested and vowed to no allow UN forces enter the village, which would force the southern part of the area to rearrange.

"The entrance of UN forces to the northern part of Ghajar means effectively splitting the village in two," said council spokesman Najib Khatib.

"This is why we will not agree. We demand that the village remain whole and that the debate on it be part of a peace agreement with Syria stipulating the return of the Golan Heights. Ghajar is part of Syria and we have no connection to Lebanon… We demand retention of the status-quo," Khatib added as many villagers have expressed their desire of maintaining the village united, regardless of who controls it.

The village sits on disputed lands as it meets where Israeli, Syrian, and Lebanese borders cross.

If the village is separated, the social impact could be life-changing as families could be divided, while most villagers routinely spend time on both the north and south sides with the town's infrastructure, including schools and businesses, spreading out on both sides.

In 1967, Israeli captured the 2,000-person village from Syria, but in 2000, when it withdrew its forces from the southern Lebanon, the UN established the borderline between Lebanon and Israel in the middle of the village. While Israel maintained control of the southern part, after the 2006 war, the IDF regained control of the northern half.

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