Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA:

Read this line:

#1 "Unifil's mandate in northern Ghajar would be the same as elsewhere in
Lebanon: they would not be allowed to search homes, but only to prevent
infractions of the cease-fire. It would not interfere in the enforcement of
Israeli law, which would still prevail in the northern part of the village."

Now read this line:

#2 "The international border between Israel and Lebanon runs through the
middle of the village, and according to UN Resolution 1701, which ended the
Second Lebanon War, required Israel to cease all operations north of the
border, with an emphasis on military operations."

So here is the puzzle: According to #1, UNIFIL isn't going to search homes
and Israeli law will "prevail".

According to #2, "UN Resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War,
required Israel to cease all operations north of the border"

So will Israeli cops go where UNIFIL won't? And if they do, won't Israel be
condemned in the UN?

Or is the answer that no one will search homes and the area can be a staging
grounds to terror groups?
===

Israel looks toward IDF pullout from Lebanon border village
By Barak Ravid Haaretz Last update - 11:24 23/11/2009
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1129985.html

Senior cabinet ministers, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, decided
on Sunday to work toward a withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces from the
northern portion of the village of Ghajar on Israel's border with Lebanon.

The ministers of the cabinet's "forum of seven" are to recommend to the
security cabinet to adopt the plan of UNIFIL commander Claudio Graziano to
have UN troops take responsibility for the area, while Israel would continue
to meet civilian needs and residents, who are Alawi Arabs, would retain
their Israeli identity cards.

The international border between Israel and Lebanon runs through the middle
of the village, and according to UN Resolution 1701, which ended the Second
Lebanon War, required Israel to cease all operations north of the border,
with an emphasis on military operations.

The issue of Ghajar came up last week in talks between French Foreign
Minister Bernard Kouchner, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Defense
Minister Ehud Barak.

Israel has also been told by the United States and the United Nations that
now that the Saad Hariri government has been established in Lebanon,
Israel's withdrawal from Ghajar will help bring stability to the northern
border and strengthen Hariri's moderate camp, as it can present an Israeli
withdrawal as a first, speedy accomplishment.

Netanyahu reportedly wants to bring the matter to a vote in the security
cabinet on Wednesday.

The pullout is supported by the Foreign Ministry, which feels that Israel
will gain points with the international community.

The IDF has told Netanyahu and Barak that Unifil's plan will solve the
conflict over the village and will not impair Israel's ability to provide
security to area residents. Shortly after Netanyahu took office, the United
States requested Israel withdraw from Ghajar to strengthen the moderates in
Lebanon. Netanyahu was reportedly close to approving the move when Lebanon
asked for a postponement until after elections.

A few months ago a number of officials, led by Lieberman, proposed placing
the international border fence in the middle of the village, and that the
residents north of the fence would be compensated and evacuated to the
southern part of the village, which would remain in Israeli hands. However,
after Lieberman visited the village and met with residents, he realized they
were strongly opposed to such a move, and he decided to support the Unifil
plan as a temporary solution.

According to Graziano's plan, presented a year ago, hundreds of Unifil
troops will be deployed in and around the village, along with a liaison
officer from the Lebanese Army. The 40 to 60 Unifil soldiers to be stationed
in the village would respond in case of a criminal or terrorist incident and
would also assist the inhabitants in civilian matters. The force, which
would not exceed 12 to a shift, would be drawn from veterans of the region
with experience dealing with local inhabitants.

Unifil's mandate in northern Ghajar would be the same as elsewhere in
Lebanon: they would not be allowed to search homes, but only to prevent
infractions of the cease-fire. It would not interfere in the enforcement of
Israeli law, which would still prevail in the northern part of the village.