The Netherlands wants UN peacekeepers to stay in southern Lebanon beyond the expiry of their mandate on December 31, a Dutch minister told The National on Wednesday.
“I hope that international discussions, and the role that the Netherlands can play in those discussions, will lead to an extension,” Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Co-operation, said.
“But we all know this is going to be difficult,” he added. He described the peacekeeping force, Unifil, as crucial to Lebanon's stability and its extension as a “priority”.
Mr Sjoerdsma was speaking to The National on the sidelines of a meeting with Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed in Nabatieh, during which he announced additional funding from the Netherlands for Lebanon and the UN Human Rights Office.
Amid US pressure, the UN Security Council agreed last year to end the peacekeeping mission's mandate after 47 years in Lebanon. It is then expected to start a year-long withdrawal. Post-Unifil options, including the deployment of an international force, are currently being considered.
“I don't want to think post-Unifil,” the Dutch minister said. “I want to make sure that Unifil remains beyond December 31.”
Israel has long accused Unifil of failing to stop Hezbollah's military presence in southern Lebanon. Observers fear Unifil's withdrawal could create a security vacuum, as Israeli troops continue to occupy around seven per cent of Lebanon. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has also called for an extension of Unifil's presence.
Diplomatic pressure on Israel
The Dutch minister also sharply criticised Israel's continued presence in southern Lebanon and its forces' attacks on civilians, journalists and aid workers, saying they “need to stop”.
The National's reporter heard at least one loud blast during the delegation's visit. Lebanon's National News Agency reported an Israeli strike on Nabatieh Al Fawqa.
Hours earlier, Israel had launched attacks in the surrounding areas of the Nabatieh district, in what the Israeli military said was retaliation for a Hezbollah drone launch.
Despite a framework agreement signed by Israel and Lebanon in late June that was supposed to pave the way for an end to hostilities, Israel has continued to raze villages within what it calls a “security zone” and carry out strikes inside and beyond the occupied area.
Mr Sjoerdsma said the Dutch and Israeli foreign ministers had held “critical” discussions not only over Israel's presence in Lebanon, but also over Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Relations between Israel and the Netherlands have grown increasingly strained in recent years, in line with tensions between Israel and several other European countries. The latest spat followed a Dutch ban on the trading of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Mr Sjoerdsma acknowledged that diplomatic pressure on Israel had so far failed to produce significant change. “But we'll keep on pushing. This is my promise to Lebanon, to Lebanese people. Whatever we can do, because The Hague is the capital of international law justice,” he said.
He also announced a €500,000 (about $580,00) contribution to the UN Human Rights Office to support the collection of evidence. “Because if these things go without consequences, it will happen even more, and this cannot happen,” he said.
The war resumed on March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in support of Iran, its main backer, and in response to daily Israeli violations of a previous ceasefire. Israel's retaliation has killed more than 4,000 people and partially or completely destroyed dozens of villages.
Unifil has operated in southern Lebanon since 1978, when it was established after Israel's first invasion of the south of the country.
