UN agrees ceasefire; violence escalates

Photo from Passing for Normal

On Friday, the United Nations Security Council passed a long-waited resolution calling for a ceasefire in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. But Israel responded by ordering further ground incursions into Lebanon as far as the Litani River and fresh air strikes, resulting in several deaths. And on Saturday morning, the Agence France Presse reported Hezbollah fired 20 rockets into Israel.

UN Security Council resolution 1701 was passed unanimously in New York after Secretary General Kofi Annan said he was "profoundly disappointed" that the UN had failed to act sooner to end fighting in the Middle East. Annan said the delay in drafting a resolution had "badly shaken" global faith in the UN.

Israeli military officials have said they will stop military action only if the Israeli cabinet endorses the resolution on Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is asking the cabinet to do so, describing the resolution as "positive and acceptable." The Lebanese government was meeting Saturday to discuss the resolution.

The resolution states that Hezbollah must end attacks on Israel while Israel must end "offensive military operations" in Lebanese territory. The text of Resolution 1701 aimed at ending the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon appears on the next page:

"The Security Council,

Recalling all its previous resolutions on Lebanon, in particular resolutions 425 (1978), 426 (1978), 520 (1982), 1559 (2004), 1655 (2006), 1680 (2006) and 1697 (2006), as well as the statements of its president on the situation in Lebanon, in particular the statements of 18 June, 2000, of 19 October, 2004, of 4 May 2005, of 23 January 2006 and of 30 July 2006;

Expressing its utmost concern at the continuing escalation of hostilities in Lebanon and in Israel since Hezbollah's attack on Israel on 12 July 2006, which has already caused hundreds of deaths and injuries on both sides, extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons;

Emphasizing the need for an end of violence, but at the same time emphasizing the need to address urgently the causes that have given rise to the current crisis, including by the unconditional release of the abducted Israeli soldiers;

Mindful of the sensitivity of the issue of prisoners and encouraging the efforts aimed at urgently settling the issue of the Lebanese prisoners detained in Israel;

Welcoming the efforts of the Lebanese prime minister and the commitment of the government of Lebanon, in its seven-point plan, to extend its authority over its territory, through its own legitimate armed forces, such that there will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon and no authority other than that of the government of Lebanon, welcoming also its commitment to a UN force that is supplemented and enhanced in numbers, equipment, mandate and scope of operation, and bearing in mind its request in this plan for an immediate withdrawal of the Israeli forces from Southern Lebanon;

Determined to act for this withdrawal to happen at the earliest;

Taking due note of the proposals made in the seven-point plan regarding the Shebaa farms area;

Welcoming the unanimous decision by the government of Lebanon on 7 August 2006 to deploy a Lebanese armed force of 15,000 troops in south Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws behind the Blue Line and to request the assistance of additional forces from UNIFIL as needed, to facilitate the entry of the Lebanese armed forces into the region and to restate its intention to strengthen the Lebanese armed forces with material as needed to enable it to perform its duties;

Aware of its responsibilities to help secure a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution to the conflict;

Determining that the situation in Lebanon constitutes a threat to international peace and security;

1. Calls for a full cessation of hostilities based upon, in particular, the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations;

2. Upon full cessation of hostilities, calls upon the government of Lebanon and UNIFIL as authorized by paragraph 11 to deploy their forces together throughout the South and calls upon the government of Israel, as that deployment begins, to withdraw all of its forces from southern Lebanon in parallel;

3. Emphasizes the importance of the extension of the control of the government of Lebanon over all Lebanese territory in accordance with the provisions of resolution 1559 (2004) and resolution 1680 (2006), and of the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, for it to exercise its full sovereignty, so that there will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon and no authority other than that of the government of Lebanon;

4. Reiterates its strong support for full respect for the Blue Line;

5. Also reiterates its strong support, as recalled in all its previous relevant resolutions, for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized borders, as contemplated by the Israeli-Lebanese General Armistice Agreement of 23 March 1949;

6. Calls on the international community to take immediate steps to extend its financial and humanitarian assistance to the Lebanese people, including through facilitating the safe return of displaced persons and, under the authority of the government of Lebanon, reopening airports and harbours, consistent with paragraphs 14 and 15, and calls on it also to consider further assistance in the future to contribute to the reconstruction and development of Lebanon;

7. Affirms that all parties are responsible for ensuring that no action is taken contrary to paragraph 1 that might adversely affect the search for a long-term solution, humanitarian access to civilian populations, including safe passage for humanitarian convoys, or the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons, and calls on all parties to comply with this responsibility and to cooperate with the Security Council;

8. Calls for Israel and Lebanon to support a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution based on the following principles and elements:

Full respect for the Blue Line by both parties;
security arrangements to prevent the resumption of hostilities, including the establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani river of an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL as authorized in paragraph 11, deployed in this area;
Full implementation of the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, and of resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), that require the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon, so that, pursuant to the Lebanese cabinet decision of July 27, 2006, there will be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese state;
No foreign forces in Lebanon without the consent of its government;
No sales or supply of arms and related materiel to Lebanon except as authorized by its government;
Provision to the United Nations of all remaining maps of land mines in Lebanon in Israel's possession;

9. Invites the secretary general to support efforts to secure as soon as possible agreements in principle from the government of Lebanon and the government of Israel to the principles and elements for a long-term solution as set forth in paragraph 8, and expresses its intention to be actively involved;

10. Requests the secretary general to develop, in liaison with relevant international actors and the concerned parties, proposals to implement the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, and resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), including disarmament, and for delineation of the international borders of Lebanon, especially in those areas where the border is disputed or uncertain, including by dealing with the Shebaa farms area, and to present to the Security Council those proposals within 30 days;

11. Decides, in order to supplement and enhance the force in numbers, equipment, mandate and scope of operations, to authorize an increase in the force strength of UNIFIL to a maximum of 15,000 troops, and that the force shall, in addition to carrying out its mandate under resolutions 425 and 426 (1978):

a. Monitor the cessation of hostilities;

b. Accompany and support the Lebanese armed forces as they deploy throughout the South, including along the Blue Line, as Israel withdraws its armed forces from Lebanon as provided in paragraph 2;

c. Coordinate its activities related to paragraph 11 (b) with the government of Lebanon and the Government of Israel;

d. Extend its assistance to help ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons;

e. Assist the Lebanese armed forces in taking steps towards the establishment of the area as referred to in paragraph 8;

f. Assist the government of Lebanon, at its request, to implement paragraph 14;

12. Acting in support of a request from the government of Lebanon to deploy an international force to assist it to exercise its authority throughout the territory, authorizes UNIFIL 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 utilized 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, humanitarian workers, and, without prejudice to the responsibility of the government of Lebanon, to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence;

13. Requests the secretary general urgently to put in place measures to ensure UNIFIL is able to carry out the functions envisaged in this resolution, urges member states to consider making appropriate contributions to UNIFIL and to respond positively to requests for assistance from the Force, and expresses its strong appreciation to those who have contributed to UNIFIL in the past;

14. Calls upon the government of Lebanon to secure its borders and other entry points to prevent the entry in Lebanon without its consent of arms or related materiel and requests UNIFIL as authorized in paragraph 11 to assist the government of Lebanon at its request;

15. Decides further that all states shall take the necessary measures to prevent, by their nationals or from their territories or using their flag vessels or aircraft;

a. the sale or supply to any entity or individual in Lebanon of arms and related materiel of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment, and spare parts for the aforementioned, whether or not originating in their territories, and;

b. the provision to any entity or individual in Lebanon of any technical training or assistance related to the provision, manufacture, maintenance or use of the items listed in subparagraph (a) above, except that these prohibitions shall not apply to arms, related material, training or assistance authorized by the government of Lebanon or by UNIFIL as authorized in paragraph 11;

16. Decides to extend the mandate of UNIFIL until 31 August 2007, and expresses its intention to consider in a later resolution further enhancements to the mandate and other steps to contribute to the implementation of a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution;

17. Requests the secretary general to report to the Council within one week on the implementation of this resolution and subsequently on a regular basis;

18. Stresses the importance of, and the need to achieve, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on all its relevant resolutions including its resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967 and 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973;

19. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

Comments

[Mirvat]

I would really like to see a change in the world. a UN that functions without US influence, the US being a real power that's not an empire driven by corporations and greed, countries only influencing other countries in a good way.. imagine..

now what i want to see is israel being condemned for all the war crimes in Lebanon.

thank you for all your posts and explanations about what's really going on :)

[pepektheassassin]

PS ...and the unfortunate thing is, that after the UN messed around, dragging its feet for the last few weeks in getting a ceasefire agreement, it will probably not take effect until another hundred people die.

[pepektheassassin]

If it had been possible, Hezbollah should have been taken care of long ago, from within. Then Lebanon would still be green and beautiful, all those beautiful killed people would be alive to smell the flowers. Probably the same thing could be said about Iraq....

[commongal]

I've read that the US is encouraging Israel not to engage in a cease fire, even though they may want to do so.

[Paris Parfait]

The answer is complicated, but since it's the comments section a simple answer: peace and security for all in the region, with every government leading its own people without outside interference and respect for its neighbours.

[berrie]

Thanks Tara! You've been sweet in answering me:) One last thing if you can stand it;o) if it were YOU in charge just how would you want to see things end up? what would you do to fix it? & hey when you need a break from all of this come see my pictures:)

[Paris Parfait]

Berrie, I think the resources simply haven't been available to help. For instance a year ago the United States praised Lebanon as a shining example of democracy - but has done nothing to help Lebanon solve its ongoing problems. And NATO and UN forces have been preoccupied at hot spots around the world. The UN forces are of course peacekeepers, and not designed to enforce resolutions. UN resolutions largely depend upon the goodwill of the countries involved to implement them. For instance, Israel has consistently ignored many UN resolutions over the years.

[berrie]

so am I correct in saying the lebonese govt. (being that it is so overwhelmed) needs help in getting rid of the hezbolah?? is it possible that that could happen? & if so why hasn't anyone considered this? or has it been considered? again thank you in advance:o)

[Alexandra]

What a powerful photo attached to this post. The UN across the board has been pretty pathetic. Its not just this recent war-Where were they in Somalia? the Sudan? Bosnia? I do feel they are largely anti-Israel when you look at the history of their votes but Israel went far too far this time. This accomplished nothing but more horror.

[Paris Parfait]

Berrie, unfortunately the Lebanese government has been beset with problems, with many of its leaders assassinated. Hezbollah was formed when the Israelis previously occupied Lebanon, as resistence to the occupation. When Israel withdrew, a UN resolution was passed, in which Hezbollah was to be disarmed as a military group. But the government wasn't strong enough to accomplish this feat alone, particularly with repeated outside influences from Syria.

[berrie]

oh what horrible jumbled spelling I've shown in the previous posts...please excuse my hurried typing! and thanks for answering my questions!

[berrie]

one more question tara it is not possible for the lebanese government to take care of hezalah (sp) from within??? would that stop any of this if they could?

[berrie]

I thought so tara...a few days back a gal who posts here posted on my page (a since deleted post) that they Lebonon did not have a government??? and were controlled by syria to the north and israel to the south??? well thanks for clearing that up for me..;o)

[Paris Parfait]

Berrie, of course Lebanon has a government! It has a president, prime minister and parliament. Not that the government is very effective at the moment, thanks to Lebanon being used as a battleground by Israel and Hezbollah.

[Scott]

Who is unpardonable? The UN for not acting sooner. Israel for continuing their attacks. Hezbollah for lobbing more rockets.

I don't think that we can condemn anyone yet for not honoring the request for the cessation of hostilities until the offending parties get a few days to review the request.

We also must watch our rhetoric. If forgiveness and pardons are not extended, there really is no hope for the end to this madness.

[berrie]

I was told that Lebanon doesn't have a government? so they do have a government? Someone told me they were ruled by Syria to the north and Israel to the south? I never did get around to checking...

[Colette]

I'm not sure what the UN accomplishes and has been accomplishing. Precious little from what I can see. But they have cushy jobs, non-taxable salaries and all kinds of diplomatic perks.

It's unforgivable to blow up an electricity plant and open the way for disease and death for the civilians -- right after everyone seems to be on board for a ceasefire.

This whole tragedy has shown governments, institutions, and people *in their true colors*.

Now we know exactly who is who.

xox

[twitches]

"Annan said the delay in drafting a resolution had "badly shaken" global faith in the UN."

UNderstatement of the year.

[Sophie]

I am profoundly disappointed as well
that the UN did not
act sooner.

UNpardonable indeed.

[miss*R]

I really don't quite understand the UN & all these agreements that are made. I guess it is like all rules & regulations - it works for people who do actually follow rules & regulations.