Weekly Commentary: Consider Alternatives to Full Israeli Control of Gaza Based on the Role of Third Parties in Removing Hezbollah per UNSCR 1701

Weekly Commentary: Consider Alternatives to Full Israeli Control of Gaza
Based on the Role of Third Parties in Removing Hezbollah per UNSCR 1701
Dr. Aaron Lerner 25 November 2023

Our friends and not-so-much-friends are all pushing for entities other than
Israel to take control of the Gaza Strip.

And the remarks of our friends and not-so-much-friends share one thing in
common: they reflect a “clean slate” approach according to which what has
transpired to date is completely ignored. Israel, however, cannot afford the
luxury of ignoring the well-known English language proverb “fool me once,
shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”

Which brings us to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted
by the Security Council at its 5511th meeting, on 11 August 2006:

“.8. .the establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani river of an
area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the
Government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL as authorized in paragraph 11, deployed
in this area; – full implementation of the relevant provisions of the Taif
Accords, and of resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), that require the
disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon.”

The deployment of Hezbollah south of the Litani, and the very existence of
Hezbollah’s mid-range and long-range rockets and missiles anywhere in
Lebanon, are in gross violation of UNSCR 1701.

And now, seventeen years later, the recently abandoned Israeli communities
close to the Lebanese border can only be returned to if these provisions of
UNSCR 1701 are implemented.

The question now is the extent to which the international community
participates in implementing UNSCR 1701.

If the international community in the coming days and weeks somehow causes
Hezbollah to withdraw from south of the Litani and to destroy and/or remove
their rockets and missiles from Lebanon, then those international actors may
indeed have a relevant role with regards to the future of the Gaza Strip.

But if the IDF alone removes Hezbollah and destroys the rockets and
missiles, then we Israelis have no choice but to reach the somber conclusion
that we cannot afford the luxury of relying on third parties to bear
responsibility for the Gaza Strip.

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Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on
Arab-Israeli relations

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