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Al-Ahram Weekly 21 - 27 October 1999 Issue No. 452 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 21 - 27 October 1999 Issue No. 452
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Withdrawal when?
By Ranwa YehiaDespite widespread reports of imminent Israeli withdrawal from Hasbaya in southern Lebanon, the country's politicians, diplomats and political analysts were in agreement this week that such a development was unlikely. The Lebanese government has not been officially notified, according to the Prime Minister Salim Al-Hoss, and the origin of the reports remains unclear.
Speaker of the Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri dismissed the possibility of any such withdrawal in the near future, but suggested that resistance to the Israeli military authorities in the area might have been behind discussions of such a possibility. High-ranking Lebanese officials also denied hearing of any definite plans for Israeli withdrawal.
Diplomatic sources at the Lebanese Foreign Ministry in Beirut said however that several plans to withdraw from the south of the country had been discussed two weeks ago at an Israeli military meeting headed by the Israeli prime minister. One report indicated that the end of January should be treated as the deadline for Israeli withdrawal from Israel's self-declared 'security zone' in south Lebanon. The military details included in the plan suggested that the process would take place over a period of six days, and that it would be accompanied by heavy air, land and sea back-up to protect Israeli forces from possible Hizbullah attack.
The report also said that partial withdrawal would jeopardize remaining Israeli positions in Lebanon, making them susceptible to attack by resistance groups. However, the report said that if one such withdrawal were to take place from Hasbaya, then Lebanese Internal Security Forces would immediately be deployed in the area. The deployment of United Nations (UNIFIL) forces in the area was also a possibility, with the UNIFIL Indian Battalion being a possible candidate for the role.
UNIFIL's political adviser in Lebanon, Timor Goksel, said however that he did not expect Israel to withdraw from the eastern part of its occupation zone. "It is not in Israel's interest to withdraw from an area where its soldiers are not even in danger," he said, pointing out that recent change in Israeli tactics in south Lebanon, which now concentrated mainly on air raids, could be put down to a simple shift in military strategy. The Israelis "are firing from the air because they don't want any more losses, and this is the best way to maintain the safety of their soldiers," he said.
Meanwhile Hizbullah sources told Al-Ahram Weekly that Israeli soldiers and their South Lebanon Army militia allies had blocked several roads in Hasbaya and had prevented residents' movements. Whether Israel was serious about withdrawing from Hasbaya was not clear, the sources said, but added that "the occupation forces are gathering their forces on the outskirts of Hasbaya", which might mean that there was a possibility of a partial Israeli withdrawal from several other positions in the eastern sector of the occupation zone.
Meanwhile, the town of Hasbaya itself is calm, and residents are busy with their daily lives, though they also seem preoccupied by news of a possible Israeli withdrawal. Some residents said that the contradictory reports had confused and made them anxious, adding that they listened to the news constantly in the hope of a change in the situation.
