 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 April 1999 Issue No. 425 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
 |
 |
|
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 April 1999 Issue No. 425
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
|
|
|
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Breakup of an occupation
By Zeina KhodrThe killing of Israel's top general in south Lebanon Erez Gerstein by Hizbullah resistance fighters last February sent shock waves throughout Israel and raised suspicions that its allied militia, the South Lebanon Army (SLA), was infiltrated by persons working with the resistance and the Lebanese army.
Investigations were launched and a clamp-down imposed on the eastern sector of the zone Israel occupies in south Lebanon, where Gerstein's car was blown up by a roadside bomb. Believing that members of the SLA gave Hizbullah information about Gerstein's movements, Israeli forces arrested a number of high-ranking militia officials. Consequently, in less than a month eight militiamen surrendered to the Lebanese army. Seven were from the occupied village of Shebaa and the other one from Ibl Al-Saqi, both in the eastern sector. Israel responded by expelling 18 of the militiamen's relatives, mostly elderly people, women and children, from Shebaa.
Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud denounced the expulsions, saying, "Israel's systematic barbaric practices violate international conventions and the most basic human rights on a daily basis." He added that the expulsions "violated the terms of the April cease-fire understanding."
But a monitoring group, set up to observe a cease-fire agreement drawn up after Israel bombarded southern Lebanon in April 1996, failed to apportion blame on Israel. "There were differing views among the group's representatives on whether expulsions fall within the mandate of the April understanding," it said in a statement. The group comprises representatives from Lebanon, Syria, France, Israel and the United States.
This is not the first time Israel has expelled residents from the zone. In January, 24 people were deported from Shebaa after their relatives were accused of assassinating an SLA official.
Lebanon sent a message to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan urging him to put pressure on Israel to stop the deportations and repatriate those who had been evicted. Representatives of Shebaa asked the Lebanese authorities to set up a refugee camp for some 300 Lebanese deported since 1985, in Wadi Ayoun, in Jmeim area just north of the occupied zone. But, by bombarding the area, Israel made it clear that it would not tolerate another "Marj Al-Zouhour", a reference to a makeshift camp set up in 1992 for more than 400 Palestinians who had been deported by Israel. The refugees remained in the camp for a year before being repatriated.
What is clear, though, is that the morale of the SLA has reached its lowest ebb at a time when their future is uncertain. Over the past few weeks, there has been much talk of a unilateral Israeli withdrawal and, in the light of a growing belief that an end to the occupation is inevitable, residents of the zone have started to "revolt".
The mainly Druze inhabitants of the eastern sector have started a campaign of non-cooperation with Israeli forces. Furthermore, the community's spiritual leaders have issued religious edicts forbidding any collaboration with the "enemy".
A Lebanese family expelled from the Israeli-occupied zone in south Lebanon last week walks toward a Lebanese army checkpoint
(photo: AFP)
Druze MP Faysal Daoud called on Druze members of the SLA to surrender, saying that they will not be prosecuted. Collaboration with Israel is punishable under Lebanese law.
The Sunni Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Mohamed Rashid Kabbani, made a similar call to inhabitants to step up "popular resistance".
The authorities have also stated that no efforts will be spared to support the steadfastness of the southerners living under occupation. "The government must improve services in the zone if it wants the area and people not to continue to forge economic ties with Israel," Prime Minister Selim Al-Hoss said recently.
Sources within the zone said there has been a general collapse in the morale of the SLA, particularly in the enclave of Jezzine. Observers believe Israel may relinquish control of the area because there are only around 150 members of the SLA stationed there. Many members of the militia have left and others revolted because they would not man posts that have been increasingly coming under attack by the Lebanese resistance.
But Israel said recently that it intends to hand over more responsibilities to its local allies. Israel's Defence Minister Moshe Arens said the number of Israeli Defence Force troops deployed in the zone is being reduced. "The first thing we are doing, we are in the process of doing, is reducing our forces deployed across the zone," he said. Arens explained that 80 per cent of Israeli army posts in the zone were already controlled by the SLA and the reduction could include the hand-over of additional bases to the militia.
The defence minister denied the redeployment was part of a wider plan to withdraw Israeli troops but rather an attempt to minimise the dangers faced by Israeli soldiers.
But observers here are questioning Arens' statement, which was issued at a time when there is an apparent lack of trust toward Israel's local allies. Analysts say his comments were linked to the general elections which are only weeks away. Israeli policy in Lebanon has become an electoral issue following mounting troop losses in the zone.
