Lebanese shepherds outraged by Israeli cow incursions
By Mohammed Zaatari Daily Star (Lebanon) staff Saturday, July 11, 2009
www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=104082

KFAR SHUBA: Israeli cows guided by Israeli shepherds have been crossing the
border in an act southerners are condemning as a violation of the country's
sovereignty, especially since the cattle is being protected by the Israeli
Army. The bovine "incursions" have even provoked Lebanese dogs that have now
made it their mission to make the cows return where they came from.

Lebanese shepherds are also very concerned with falling water levels in the
area as a result of the straying Israeli livestock.

Ismail Nasser, from Kfar Shuba, described how the Israeli cows have been
crossing the border on a daily basis on their way to Baathail Lake without
any consequences, while a commotion would erupt if any of his dogs were to
approach the Blue Line, which was drawn by the United Nations in 2000, after
Israel's withdrawal from almost all of the south.

As Nasser spoke, three cows appeared in the distance and were soon chased by
the shepherd's barking dogs. As the dogs appeared to close in on their
targets, an Israeli Merkava tank made its way to the combat zone only to
disappear few moments after.

Nasser sighed with relief.

"There's barely enough water for me and my fellow Lebanese shepherds and
each Israeli cow drinks more than 40 of our goats put together. Why doesn't
UNIFIL consider this as an violation of the Blue Line?" Nasser asked.

The Municipal Council of Kfar Shuba convened late Thursday to discuss the
problem, and decided to task its mayor, Izzat Qadiri, with drafting a letter
to the commander of UNIFIL, Major General Claudio Graziano, as well as the
commander of UNIFIL's Indian battalion, Saradib Chadra, asking them to
reinforce surveillance at Hassan Gate and to put an end to the violation.
Along with the letter, the council submitted proof of two holes made in the
separating barbed wire at Baathail Lake.

The council urged UNIFIL to halt the violations by any means necessary or to
surround the entire lake with barbed wire, to prevent any Israeli cows from
approaching.