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by Maayana Miskin
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The United Nation's Security Council voted Thursday to renew the mandate of UN troops in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL). The normally routine vote became the background for controversy this year as allegations surfaced regarding UNIFIL's enforcement – or lack thereof – of UN resolution 1701.

Resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War, forbids the presence of Hizbullah or other non-governmental armed forces between the Israel-Lebanon border and the Litani River.

According to the Lebanese Daily Star, the draft mentions “deep concern over violations relating to Resolution 1701, especially the latest dangerous violations,” but does not explicitly cite incidents such as the arms cache blast in July in southern Lebanon. The explosion was seen as a sign of Hizbullah activity in the area.

Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Gabriela Shalev, made it clear during Thursday's vote that Israel sees UNIFIL as responsible for enforcing the resolution. The renewed mandate will allow UNIFIL troops to make “increased efforts” to clear the region they patrol as required by 1701, she said. Her remarks were not incorporated into the resolution.

Recent events in southern Lebanon, including the blasts heard in July, show that non-governmental forces remain active in the area, Shalev warned. “A terrorist organization, Hizbullah, continues to deploy its assets and operates actively both north and south of the Litani river,” she told the council.

In addition to voting to extend the UN mandate, council members voted to review the UNIFIL structure. The UN may decide to increase UNIFIL's naval capabilities. UNIFIL was created in 1978. It's numbers were brought to 12,000 following the 2006 war.
(IsraelNationalNews.com)
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Hezbullah has been breaching Resolution 1701 since 2006, under the watchful eye of UNIFIL.
Those intrepid card sharps have been loitering in their barracks since 2006 whilst Hezbollah has been re-arming outside.
It has been reported that Hizbollah has been digging weapons storage areas under civilians homes and gardens near the border, yet those UNIFIL Keystone Kops hear nothing, see nothing and do nothing all this time.
They have a mandate to do nothing.
The Lebanese government has lost the will to enforce Resolution 1701 since Hezbollah has it's terrorists in the Lebanese Parliament.
Soon they could have 10 members out of a 30 man Parliament running interference in the governments decision making process.
In 2006, Israel held only Hezbollah accountable for terrorist strikes into Israel which resulted in the 2006 IDF incursion into Southern Lebanon which saw many buildings reduced to rubble, and many Hezbollah and civilian deaths.
The IDF took great measures to ensure that state run institutions were left untouched, and stopped short of continuing the incursion into northern non Hezbollah held areas.
With Hezbollah now a part of the Lebanese government, the situation has now changed.
I suspect that if more acts of terrorism is perpetrated against Israel, the IDF will not stop just in Southern Lebanon and the gloves will come off.
If UNIFIL cannot enforce Resolution 1701, and the Lebanese government won't or can't comply, then it falls to the IDF to do so and it won't be pretty.