UNIFIL mission imperiled - middle east conflict Oct 24

Mannesmann

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122715006#Comment_122715006

Perhaps you are correct but who is to fight it? The UN as in Korea after world war two was meant to enforce peace.

roadmaster

Do the french still have there Leclerc tanks deployed with UNIFIL?

irishgeo

An Israeli statement said Hezbollah was using the bases as hiding places and as areas to launch attacks. Last week it was the Israeli tanks parked up beside the UN outpost though.

That statement gives carte blanche to blow the UN outposts up now like hospitals and everything else. Because Hezbollah is "hiding" in them.

Israel is out of control and needs to reigned in fast.

sparky42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122707055#Comment_122707055

again, we aren’t in new territory, this conduct by Israel is no different than its invasion of Lebanon in the 80s including its conduct towards UNFIL, nor is it different to their conduct in the 00s border war with Hezzbullah. I’m not sure why you keep acting like the IDF has suddenly gone openly hostile to everyone else? This is their default tactics.

As for a “check”, Israel very much wants UNFIL out of the way, perhaps to try its Gaza “tactics” on Southern Lebanon, all of which means there is every reason for UNFIL to hold their positions and make damn sure the world can’t look away.

Manic Moran

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122704289#Comment_122704289

A lovely statement.

I have three observations.

1. The UN doesn't have a great track record of stopping Srebrenicas. They were there already at the actual Srebrenica. "The eyes of the world" weren't much of a stopper. Prevention of massacre was a stated goal of the UN operation in Bosnia, the UNIFIL mission is of monitoring and support. There is no active role described beyond assistance and co-operation, UNIFIL is not planned to, or resourced to, conduct such activities, and the Israelis apparently don't much care right now who they make angry.
2. The Israelis don't have much of a history of Srebrenicas. Whatever their own internal red line is, I don't believe they have ever lined up a hundred civilians at a time and machinegunned them. If after the end of this someone (eg Berry) comes out and says "We did our job, there were no Srebenicas", I'm going to point and laugh at the logical fallacy involved.
3. "You and what army?" Who in the area has both the capability and willingness to forcibly stop the Israeli military from doing whatever it wants to? The US Navy? Even Turkey likely isn't really all that inclined. However many Javelins the Irish brought along, it won't stop a single Israeli F-16.

vswr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122716200#Comment_122716200

It was one of the fallacies of the UNDOF (Golan Heights) mission Ireland was involved in at the start. They were based in Israel, and had to cross the Israeli boarder crossing to patrol their area. There was numerous occasions the gates were locked due to "operational restrictions".

Manic Moran

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122718927#Comment_122718927

I wouldn't go that far. Peacekeeping (as opposed to peace enforcing) still has a purpose, and seems to be operating reasonably well in a lot of places around the globe. Cyprus seems to be fairly quiet over the last few decades for example. Whether this is the result of the UN or not is another argument, but it's impossible to prove a negative. Presumably people think so, though, or the UN still wouldn't still be covering the expense of the Blue Line there.

Whether it is fit for purpose in the specific context in South Lebanon is another question entirely, and worth asking, but that's the other thread. If we're going to continue this question here, I'm going to merge the threads.

Larbre34

https://www.thejournal.ie/monument-to-irish-peacekeepers-killed-in-lebanon-damaged-and-irish-funded-orphanage-destroyed-6530898-Nov2024/

Disgusting.

I've said it before and I'll say it again; either give UNIFIL the firepower and the mandate to do the job it is there to do, or pull all 10,000 of them the **** out of there permanently.