Hizbullah Asked but Paris Did Not Respond

Nida Al Watan, Lebanon, August 25

Hizbullah hedged its bets on its relations with French officials, specifically those at the French Embassy in Beirut, to persuade Paris to support Lebanon’s official demand to modify Security Council Resolution No. 2650, issued on August 31, 2022. This resolution renewed the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in accordance with Council Resolution No. 1701. The latter effectively brought an end to the Israeli aggression in Lebanon. The party has proposed a change to the upcoming resolution regarding the annual renewal of UNIFIL. Specifically, Hizbullah is seeking adjustments to paragraph 16 of last year’s resolution, emphasizing UNIFIL’s ability to execute its tasks independently without authorization or permission. Additionally, paragraph 17 of Resolution 2650 calls on local parties to guarantee the freedom of movement of UNIFIL forces, including their ability to conduct announced and unannounced patrols. The leadership of UNIFIL has reiterated the fact that the standards of procedure which have been in place thus far will not be altered. This means that international patrols are coordinated with the Lebanese army. When the decision to grant UNIFIL “freedom of movement” in its area of operations south of the Litani River was given, Hizbullah objected vehemently, claiming this would essentially render UNIFIL an “occupying” force. But their rejection overlooked the fact that they had been routinely obstructing UNIFIL patrols intent on searching for weapons warehouses in villages that had been identified as suspicious. In response, the international community, often spearheaded by the United States, escalated its demands for UNIFIL freedom of movement, despite the fact this went against the text of Resolution 1701 which strictly forbade the presence of weapons outside the purview of the Lebanese government. The backdrop for this battle over Lebanon’s bid to delete two clauses in the impending renewal decision is largely political. As regional challenges continue to take place, France has disregarded Hizbullah’s plea to remove the two clauses from the revised extension decision. The United Kingdom, the United States, and France typically collaborate to originate the initial resolution in the Security Council. The proposal issued for debate did not contain any amendments to paragraphs 16 and 17, concerning “UNIFIL’s freedom of movement.” The Security Council must not deviate from previously stated resolutions. In recent days, the United States has increased its pressure against Hizbullah (and Iran) by insisting that the issue of the party’s arms in southern Lebanon be addressed, as evidenced by the US Treasury’s decision to label the “Green Without Borders” group as a designated terror organization 10 days ago. Lebanon must therefore look toward Russia and China for guidance. If Washington and other countries refuse to change the two paragraphs, perhaps Beirut can find attentive ears in Beijing and Moscow instead. —Walid Shukair (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)