U.N.-Israel Encounter Highlights Discord

09/30/2006

MARWAHEEN, Lebanon (AP) - An encounter between a U.N. tank patrol and an Israeli army unit near the border underlines the uncertainty in south Lebanon, with Israel reluctant to pull out the last of its troops and Hezbollah warning of impatience with Israeli truce “violations.”

French peacekeepers on Thursday blocked the path of an Israeli armored personnel carrier and two Humvees that crossed into Lebanon, said an Associated Press photographer who saw it. Although the hour-long incident was resolved amicably, it marked the first such known encounter.

The peacekeeping force has said it expects Israeli troops to leave Lebanon under the U.N. cease-fire resolution by Saturday. Israeli military officials said Thursday that the pullout would most likely come after the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur on Monday.

Israeli officials have been reluctant to withdraw the last of their troops, now thought to number several thousand after peaking around 30,000 at the end of the 34-day war with Hezbollah. They cited disagreements over the deployment of Lebanese and U.N. forces in southern Lebanon, which has long been a stronghold of the Shiite Muslim militants of Hezbollah.

But Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora on Friday stressed the need for Israel to withdraw completely in a telephone call to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Lebanon’s state-run news agency reported.

The U.N. resolution calls for 15,000 peacekeepers to work with an equal number of Lebanese soldiers to prevent another outbreak of fighting. It mandates a full Israeli pullout and requires the south be kept weapons-free except for arms approved by the Lebanese government.

Israel wants Hezbollah guerrillas disarmed, but neither the U.N. force nor the Lebanese military is eager to take on the task. The Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah says it will not disarm until a strong central government capable of defending Lebanon is in place.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has said guerrillas have shown patience with what he called Israeli cease-fire violations. But last week, he warned: “Be sure that we will not be patient for long if the (Lebanese) government abandons its role of protecting the land and the people.”

Incidents on the ground could heighten tensions, as Thursday’s encounter showed.

Israeli troops still stationed on a hilltop on the edge of the border village of Marwaheen had set up checkpoints in recent days on a stretch of road below their base and running parallel to the border fence, residents said.

On Thursday, French peacekeepers also were near the village.

Peter Dejong, an AP photographer, said four French Leclerc tanks painted white were on patrol in the area when an Israeli armored personnel carrier and two Humvees drove into Lebanon through a border gate.

The last French Leclerc tank in the patrol stopped, backed up about 150 yards and blocked the path, a narrow strip of tarmac extending from the gate.

The French and the Israelis then spent several minutes speaking to their commanders by mobile phones and two-way military radios.

Later, the two sides engaged in an animated conversation. Finally, the Israelis drove back to Israel in the troop carrier and the two Humvees.

Malak Sheetowy, a 19-year-old resident of Marwaheen, and her neighbor Marlene Ghanam gave a similar account Friday, saying the faceoff lasted about 60 minutes.

Israel’s army confirmed that its troops came close to the French peacekeepers but said there was no confrontation. Israeli troops have been in the Marwaheen area since the cease-fire took effect Aug. 14 and will stay until the zone is transferred to peacekeepers, the army said.

Alexander Ivanko, spokesman for the U.N. peacekeeping force, said French peacekeepers “observed an Israeli violation of the Blue Line” - the U.N.-demarcated line between Lebanon and Israel.

Ivanko said the encounter was peaceful and there was no tension. “I checked with the French colonel and he told me it was amiable. ... They exchanged a couple of words and everyone went his way.”

In Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said he didn’t know about the incident, but said that “Israel is honoring all its obligations” under the U.N. resolution and will continue to move toward its full implementation, including the withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Marwaheen, a Sunni village that survives on tobacco and olive crops, made headlines when vehicles carrying residents fleeing this summer’s war came under missile fire that killed 12.

There are two U.N. bases in the village, one of which is 150 yards from a hilltop held by Israeli troops. An Israeli tank and an armored personnel carrier could be seen at the hilltop post.

Marwaheen’s roughly 200 residents - about half the prewar population - were visited Friday by U.N. officials accompanied by bodyguards and interpreters to seek information on Thursday’s incident.

Adnan Ghanim, a member of the village council, said he suspected the Israelis were trying to expand their hold on the area. “They wanted to move back into the village,” he said.

Tobacco farmer Moussa Obeid had similar concerns.

“It is not clear yet what these U.N. troops will do to protect us from the Israelis,” he said, pointing to the Israeli position. “This is occupation. Look how close they are to us.”